Hogwarts: Marauding the Timeline
by Hplover4ever3
Summary: "I'm Sirius Black," said the boy. "Who the hell are you?" Draco hesitated. Well how the hell was he supposed to answer this? / / Back in 1976, Draco has a lot on his hands...avoiding questions (both students' and teachers'), playing his part well, & trying himself to understand why on earth he was sorted into Gryffindor this time around. It's going to be one hell of a ride. . .
1. Running in Circles

**Author's Note : This is a joint story, written by myself and DaOneInDaCorner. We have carefully planned out _every detail_ and hope you'll have as much fun reading as we will writing. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

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CHAPTER 1: RUNNING IN CIRCLES

Though he had been in the massive, candlelit Great Hall thousands of times before, never had he been so nervous in his entire life to walk along the aisle between the four house tables. Or so embarrassed, for that matter. And still, as he halted before the stool atop which sat an old wizard's hat, he could feel all eyes in the room on him. He made a point to keep his hands in his pockets so as to hide the fact that they were shaking and forbid his eyes from wandering to the various people that were seated at the staff table in front of him. He could feel a pair of clear blue eyes watching him intently from behind half-moon spectacles, but wouldn't dare meet them with his own.

As he stood amidst a small crowd of miniature first-year students, he waited impatiently for his name to finally be called up. This was so not the way he'd hoped to make a first impression. He could almost hear the thoughts of those who'd soon be his fellow classmates.

"What a git!" they'd cry, howling with laughter as they watched a random sixth year get his sorting with a sea of munchkins.

Sweat poured from his forehead but he kept his composure and watched Professor McGonagall go down the list of students. The sorting seemed to be taking forever—he couldn't recall it ever being this long—and so the Great Hall soon filled with the quiet but definitive whispers of the student chatter. _Good_ , he thought, _less eyes on him_. He fought very hard not to give in to curiosity and look over at the Slytherin table where he would surely see a teenage version of his favourite professor at Hogwarts. Though he knew it was impossible for anyone to know him here, he was still not used to it. He kept expecting someone to finally recognise him, turn around and call—

"Draco Black," said Professor McGonagall.

The hall instantly silenced.

Willing himself not to turn a scarlet red, Draco felt his feet move him forwards, up the steps and onto the stool. Professor McGonagall gave him a sympathetic smile before dropping the hat onto his head. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ah, Draco Black… _Black_ …hmm… _you're a Black_?" Draco took another deep breath. He'd had an inkling that something like this would happen once he put the hat on. "I've had many Blacks put me on and I'll tell you, you don't feel like them one bit. Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Draco muttered.

"Funny thing," said the Hat. "I see Malfoy when I sit atop your head. Oh yes, I definitely see Malfoy. How interesting. You were previously sorted into Slytherin, I see. Just like your mother and father—oh, I do believe they graduated not long ago…"

"Just get on with it," said Draco, through gritted teeth.

It was humiliating enough to be doing this in front of the whole school, but to be probably the only sixth-year in _wizarding history_ to receive his sorting this late…

"Oh, but you fascinate me so much!" the Hat went on. "Draco _Black_ , you do strike me as an odd sort…I sense a strange courage within you, to do the things you fear most of doing. Oh yes, it's definitely there. But you also have clever ways of keeping it from the surface. You definitely exhibit the sneakiness of your forefather. But where to put you?"

" _Just get on with it_ ," Draco muttered again.

At this point, he didn't really care if it was something as lame as Hufflepuff—he'd take _anything_ to be freed from the humiliation already!

"Oh but Hufflepuff is most certainly not lame!" cried the Hat, reminding him that it could hear his exact thoughts. "Each of the Hogwarts houses has its uses. Hmm, given that you contain the characteristic traits associated with _two_ houses, and given that you've already been sorted into one of these houses before…" Draco sighed. He knew this would happen. How could it not? He felt silly to have hoped for something else… Though, even he had no idea what he'd hoped for.

"Might be fun, given the Black family history…" the Hat continued. It was of course going to go with its original decision. It was the Sorting Hat after all! It was never mistaken. _Well_ , thought Draco, _at least he'd be there with Snape._

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The table to the far right exploded with cheering and applause as Professor McGonagall took the hat from Draco's head and nodded in the direction of the Gryffindor table. Draco stumbled off of the stool, looked sideways at the Slytherin table—where the majority of the students were sneering at him—and slowly made his way over to the table on the far right. He took the only seat left, ignored the fact that everyone surrounding him was staring at him wide-eyed, and watched as Professor Dumbledore got to his feet. He smiled at the students and waved his hands in the air. The four house tables suddenly coloured with loads of food and the student chatter resumed.

"W-welcome to Gryffindor," said a boney boy sitting across Draco but a little to the left.

"Uh thanks," said Draco, quickly.

He concentrated hard on filling his plate with loads of food so that he wouldn't think about how alarmingly familiar the boy seated directly across from him looked—an exact _clone_ of his greatest school nemesis. Well, this was just bloody perfect.

"My name is Remus Lupin," said the boney boy again.

Draco's head snapped up. Lupin! _Lupin!_ Wow, he hadn't recognised him! He really looked different. For one, there were far less scratches on his face. He did look ghostly white, as though he'd just undergone a cycle in fact. Draco smiled weakly, but couldn't seem to turn his head back to his food. It was so weird seeing a younger form of one of his previous teachers.

"I'm a prefect," Lupin continued. "It means student leader."

"Yeah, I know what it means," Draco heard himself say.

This was extremely surreal.

The boy sitting across from him was still staring at him through narrowed eyes, though Draco was determined not to meet them. The kid next to him however, leaned forwards suddenly, catching Draco's attention.

"Uh, hi there," he said, blowing a strand of his curly black hair out of his face and frowning. "Who the hell are you and why have we never met?"

It was Draco's turn to frown.

"I'm sorry?" he said.

"I'm Sirius _Black_ ," said the boy, pointing to himself. "Who the hell are _you_?"

Draco furrowed his eyebrows. Well _how the hell_ was he supposed to answer _this_?

"I think you've got one too many cousins there, Padfoot," said the boy across from him, folding his arms across his chest.

Draco finally looked up at him. Yep. There he was, Harry Potter's father—a perfect clone of him in teenage form, minus the stupid circular glasses. Oh, and the scar of course. He grinned at Draco.

"What's the matter, Black? Lost your appetite?"

Draco looked down at his knife and fork and untouched plate. He said nothing and began to cut up his food, feeling eyes still on him.

"I _think_ it's only four on my mother's side," Sirius Black was saying to himself, his fingers stretched out before him as he counted. "Surely I haven't missed one…"

"I'm telling you, Sirius," said James Potter, reaching for an apple and taking a bite. "Your family is so big you can't even keep track of yourselves!"

"Come off it, James!" said Sirius. "I think I'd know if I had another cousin out there. Oy, Draco."

Draco looked up, as though he hadn't overheard their conversation.

"Who're your parents?"

Draco's eyes fell on Potter, then Lupin, and then Black again.

"Um," he said, putting down his knife and fork and taking deep breaths, "I don't know."

"Sorry?" said Potter.

"I…I was brought up in a muggle orphanage," Draco recited, exactly as he'd practiced. "Headmaster Dumbledore has acted as a sort of caregiver for me my whole life, tutoring me and such. And now I've decided to finally attend his school."

"Why now?" said Potter.

" _Headmaster_ Dumbledore?" cried Sirius. "No one calls him that!"

"He's my kind of kid, Sirius!" said Lupin, grinning broadly at Draco.

"What's an orphanage?" asked a scrawny boy who was sitting on Lupin's other side.

Both Potter and Black smacked their heads in frustration.

" _How thick are you, Pete?!_ " they cried, but Lupin gave the boy a sympathetic smile and delved right into an explanation.

Ignoring them, Potter and Black turned back to Draco.

"So Dumbledore basically raised you then," said Potter. Draco nodded slightly. "That's like…being raised by Godric Gryffindor himself."

"Wicked," said Black.

"But then you must know all sorts of really advanced magic," said Potter again, looking at Draco hopefully.

"Sure," said Draco, shrugging.

"Wicked," said Potter and Black together.

They really reminded Draco of those Weasley twins, always finishing each other's sentences or making the exact same gestures. Strange.

"So you're a Black," said Potter, slowly, "But you were brought up in a muggle orphanage…but you know you're a Black…"

"Very good, Jamesy," said Black, in a mocking sort of tone. "You're learning quickly."

"Oh shut up, Sirius," said Potter, punching him on the shoulder playfully. Black smirked. "So Draco, how is it that you know you're a Black?"

"I was named upon being dropped off there," Draco recited, as practiced. "I was left on the doorstep with a note that said my name and birthday."

"Hmm, tis strange," said Potter, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm sure my mother will be fascinated to hear all this in my next letter," said Black, mostly to himself.

Draco smiled weakly again and returned to his food. This was too weird. _Too weird_. As he tried to make it through his first round of steak, he tried to block out the conversations between Potter and Black, wherein they discussed exactly which of Sirius' relatives Draco could possibly look like, ultimately concluding that he looked nothing like the Blacks. At one point, Draco glanced sideways, and all the Gryffindor students on his right immediately turned their heads away from him and resumed their conversations. One student however, did not. Her vibrant red hair flowed down in a perfect braid as she met Draco's eyes and smiled brightly at him from several seats over. He gulped nervously and looked away. _Creep_.

"…Sirius, I'm telling you, that's the _only_ logical explanation!" said Potter, tossing his apple core onto his plate and folding his arms again.

"Get serious, James!" cried Black. "He is _not_ a descendant of _Kreacher_!"

At this, Lupin choked on his pumpkin juice and the scrawny boy next to him patted him on the back several times. Potter sniggered.

"Who is Kreacher?" Draco dared ask.

"Our house elf," Black said, lazily. He suddenly leaned forwards again, examining Draco's features. "So like, were you _always_ blond-haired? Or did you bleach it? Apparently, it's a common muggle trick…bleaching hair."

"We should _totally_ bleach our hair!" cried Potter, suddenly.

"Oh, a nice bright orange for McGonagall's birthday!" said Black, smirking at him.

"Come on, Padfoot, don't you think I'd look dashing in a good purple?" said Potter, running his hand through his black hair.

"Only if you coloured your eyebrows too!" laughed Black.

"Will you two get serious for at least a _minute_?!" cried Lupin, suddenly.

The boys muttered their apologies to him and exchanged laughs again. Draco stared at them.

"Don't mind them," Lupin told him. "They were born like this. You'll get used to them in no time."

"Right," Draco forced himself to say.

"Well," said Lupin, sighing, "It is good to have you joining us this year. I don't suppose you'll have much catching up to do, given your private tutoring with Professor Dumbledore of all people—but should you have any questions, you just feel free to come to us."

"Yeah, we're the best tutors in the school!" said Potter, grinning at Draco. "You just stick with us and we'll have you fitted in very quickly."

At this, Black suddenly grabbed Potter's arm and lowered his voice.

" _Stick with us_?" he repeated.

"What?" whispered Potter.

"What d'you mean, 'stick with us'? He can't just…stick with _us_."

"Oh Sirius, lighten up mate. So the women in your family got around more than a hairless hag…big deal."

"Watch it, Potter!" said Black, darkly.

Draco suppressed a grin. It was surprisingly quite fascinating to watch their exchanges. Harry Potter had turned out to be nothing like his father. From what Draco had seen so far, his father was actually not bad. Witty as a git, but not annoying. In fact, sitting here and watching Potter and Black, Draco was reminded more of the Weasley twins as opposed to their brother and his mate.

When the feast was over and Dumbledore sent the students off to bed, Draco was practically dragged out of his seat by Potter and Black who seemed quite enthusiastic about walking with him. _Good_ , thought Draco. He had no idea how to even get to Gryffindor Tower. In addition, the more they walked and the closer they got there, the more excited Draco felt about finally getting to see what the Gryffindor common room looked like. In all his years at Hogwarts, he'd always wondered. He and Crabbe and Goyle had of course contemplated trying to sneak in and have a look, but didn't fancy any interrogations from McGonagall, or even worse, Dumbledore, so they'd decided against it.

"You'd best be careful when you use the staircases," said Lupin, loudly and clearly. "They like to change."

Draco nodded thoughtfully.

"Oh, and no doubt you will have noticed all these portraits hanging on the walls here—they've been here for ages, see. Be nice to them if you can. It's the…proper Hogwarts thing to do."

Again, Draco nodded. What was he supposed to say? _Um thanks, but I've actually been at Hogwarts just a bit longer than you have…in a completely different decade too, but that's a story for another day..._

Once they'd reached the tower, Potter gave the password to the infamous Fat Lady and the portrait swung open, revealing a hole through which the boys climbed.

"Welcome to our common room," said Lupin, adopting his introductory voice once again.

Draco looked around. Well, it was certainly a cozy-looking room—round and full of squashy armchairs. There was a warm fireplace in the corner and nice carpeted floors. He could definitely see the appeal in staying up there all day.

"...maybe Kreacher has a cousin too?" Potter was saying, as the boys began to climb a spiral staircase. Draco followed silently, trying to suppress the urge to inspect the foreign room from corner to corner.

"Oh Jamesy," said Black, "Lay off the Kreacher theory, will you?"

"Well Padfoot, you do refuse to admit that your family has gotten around a lot," said Potter, shrugging.

Again, Black hit him playfully. The scrawny boy that was following them giggled. Draco looked sideways at Lupin, who was smiling warmly at him.

"Uh, what's Padfoot?" he asked, quietly.

"Oh that's just Sirius' nickname," Lupin informed him. "We each came up with nicknames back in our first year and they just sort of stuck around."

"…hey what about your cousins from the South?" said Potter, excitedly.

The boys had now reached the top of the stairs and entered a dormitory wherein there were five four-poster beds with deep red, velvet curtains hanging around them.

"I dunno, I have to talk to mother about it," said Black—or Padfoot—as he shrug out of his cloak and began to loosen up his tie.

"This is our dormitory," Lupin told Draco, who nodded swiftly, looking around. "I suppose that'll be your bed, since your things seem to be at the foot of it." Draco frowned down at the trunk. Sure enough the initials D.B were carved in white at the front and there lay a freshly bought Gryffindor Hogwarts uniform on the neatly made bed. _Dumbledore had certainly kept true to his word,_ thought Draco.

"Yeah, we've been using that bed for ages to store snacks and such," Potter said lazily, kicking off his shoes and slumping on the bed nearest the large window. "But I suppose now you can have it."

"Yeah, there aren't any free beds left in the Gryffindor dormitories, are there?" said Black.

"Hey, even if there were, there is no way we're letting _him_ get away!" exclaimed Potter. "It's not every day you meet someone who just so happens to be related to you." He then smirked at Draco. "Especially when they get their sorting in _sixth year_."

As though on cue, he and Black burst into laughter. Draco even spotted Lupin grinning slightly.

"Yeah," Draco tried to say, but it came out as a sort of grunt.

How was he supposed to talk to these people? He had no idea what they wanted to hear. He really hadn't expected to be sorted into _Gryffindor_ and having to meet _this_ lot. He was not prepared for this at all.

"I thought that all purebloods are related somehow anyways," said the scrawny boy in the corner of the dormitory. He was struggling to pull off his sweater. "At least, that's what I heard Dumbledore say once."

"Rubbish," said Black, slumping on his own bed.

"Oh no it's not," said Lupin, who sat on the bed next to Draco's. "I heard him say it too."

Draco tried to nod in agreement but was too lost in thought to respond. First, he'd found out that he'd gone back in time. Then, he'd explained as much as he could to Dumbledore who'd helped him cook up a story. Next, he'd been sorted into _Gryffindor_ instead of Slytherin, and actually met Harry Potter's father and his school friends. And now, he'd fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams to see the _inside_ of the bloody Gryffindor common room! It had been quite an interesting twenty-four hours, that's for sure.

"Isn't that right, Draco?" said Potter, making him jump suddenly.

"What?" said Draco, blankly.

"Y-you aren't a pureblood supremacist, are you?"

The boys all watched him with incredible fascination, anxiously awaiting his response. He looked around the room again. From what he'd so far gathered, all of them were purebloods, like him. Well, his cover story also meant that he was a pureblood. But unlike the many purebloods whom he'd shared dormitories with back in Slytherin, these boys did not have extreme ideals about blood relations and societal status. In fact, they seemed pretty relaxed about it.

"I guess not," said Draco finally, with a slight shrug. "I haven't really given it much thought before."

"Right, so like us then," said Potter, lazily. He was obviously pleased with the answer as he tossed in his bed and yawned loudly. "I suppose you're in Gryffindor for your bravery to get your sorting with all those first-years."

Black let out a bark of laughter, which Draco tried to smile to but couldn't stop staring.

"Well, g'night," said Potter.

"See ya," said Black, turning in his own bed. Though, before the shadows of the now darkened room crept over his face, Draco caught sight of him looking directly at him with a kind of frown. It was clear that he was still very confused as to how they could be related.

"Goodnight everyone!" said the scrawny boy, happily, and he jumped into his bed and pulled the blankets over himself quite enthusiastically.

Lupin turned to Draco and gestured at the boy.

"That's Peter by the way," he said. "But we call him Wormtail."

Draco nodded.

"And James is Prongs. And…I'm Moony."

"Right," said Draco. "Uh, cool nicknames."

"Yeah," smiled Lupin, looking thoroughly nostalgic.

They sat in silence for the next couple of minutes. Draco's mind kept replaying his conversation with Dumbledore. He'd been so…unlike the Dumbledore he'd previously known...or would later know. It had been exceptionally difficult to talk to him, knowing what had happened between them only years later—Dumbledore standing atop the Astronomy Tower and Draco shakenly pointing his wand at him. But this Dumbledore did not need to know about what happened to that Dumbledore…at least not for now, anyways. In fact, once he'd realised how Draco had gotten here, this Dumbledore requested that Draco not reveal any more information to him about his older self…or his later self. Blimey, it was now starting to mess with _his_ head.

"I hope you weren't too weirded out by James and Sirius," said Lupin, suddenly. "They're just really curious lads. It's nothing personal."

"Oh," said Draco, awkwardly. "Uh yeah it's fine."

He dressed into the fresh pajamas he found in his trunk and crawled up into bed. Lupin dressed next and turned in his bed to face Draco. This was _really_ weird. Draco had only ever really known him in the classroom, and in all those lessons, he'd thought he was weird. His face was always scratched and he dressed in shaggy wizard's robes all the time. But this strange new version of him—this teenage Lupin—was actually quite normal. Pleasant, even. It was all so new to Draco.

"What?" said Lupin, noticing his stare.

"Nothing," said Draco, looking away quickly.

"Okay," said Lupin, slowly. "Well, goodnight then."

"Night," said Draco.

He turned his back on him and looked out at the starry sky in the window. Yep. _Definitely_ not what he'd had in mind when he found out he'd gone back to the fall of 1976. And what's worse, he had no idea what to expect tomorrow. What on earth was this world going to be like? He turned to face the ceiling again and let his eyes slowly close, with Dumbledore's last words to him still ringing in his ears; " _I don't doubt you have your reasons of being here, and so I hope you will not let the opportunity to do things different this time slide right by you._ "

"Don't worry," Draco pictured himself saying, as he slowly dosed off to sleep. "I won't."

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 **Thanks and please review with your thoughts on this first chapter of what will be quite a lengthy story!**


	2. Times Sure Haven't Changed

**A/N : Thanks for 100 views! We hope you guys like this second chapter and please comment below with your thoughts!**

 **A message from _DaOneInDaCorner_ : Don't expect everything to play out the same in this story...things are changing for every action Draco makes, so many original plotlines are automatically rerouted with his existence in this timeline. **

**_Hplover4ever3_ : BUT we're sure you'll be pleased with what's in store for Draco as the story progresses! **

**Kay go read now.**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

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CHAPTER 2: TIMES SURE HAVEN'T CHANGED

"Oy, getup, you!"

Draco moaned. A pillow smacked him in the face.

"Ow!" he cried, sitting up in his bed and rubbing his eyes against the blinding light.

"Sorry," someone said, laughing slightly. "Breakfast is starting soon."

"Oy Pete, you think you could hurry up in there?! I HAVE TO TAKE A PISS!"

Draco groaned as he finally opened his eyes and blinked. The room slowly came into view and he found James Potter standing at the foot of his bed, grinning down at him, and Sirius Black pounding hard on the bathroom door.

"PETE!" he shouted, banging on it again.

Draco rubbed his eyes again and looked around.

"Where…?"

"Moony's always been an early-riser," said Potter, shrugging. "He's already been down in the common room for at least an hour."

Draco glanced at the empty bed next to him and nodded slightly. He didn't bother trying to explain that what he'd really wanted to ask was where the bloody hell he was. But it all slowly came back to him as he stood up from the bed and stretched. He was in 1976—and a Gryffindor. He glanced around the room again and then stifled a yawn, realising that Potter was still watching him.

"What?" he said, in a slightly bitter voice.

He really didn't fancy being analysed like so.

"Nothing," said Potter, shrugging with a smirk on his face.

He'd definitely noticed the bitterness but had obviously chosen to ignore it. Draco frowned. He had a feeling that Potter was the sort of alpha dog of their little pack. He seemed to be the primary decision-maker. He also seemed to have no problem smirking at Draco as he waited for a response. At that moment however, the bathroom door flew open (Black had taken out his wand) and the boy called Pete wiggled his way out.

"What's up with you?" said Potter.

"I s-stubbed my toe when Sirius threw the door open," said the boy called Pete.

"You're such a git," laughed Potter. He turned to Draco. "Hurry up and get dressed. I'm starving."

Draco silently dug inside his trunk for his uniform and began to pull it on. He had a _massive_ headache this morning, though he tried desperately not to show it. Once he was ready, he packed his book bag (Dumbledore had taken the liberty of fetching his books for him as well) and followed Potter, Black and the scrawny boy down to the common room where, sure enough, Remus Lupin was waiting by the fire. At the sight of them, he jumped to his feet and pulled his bag over his shoulder.

"Ready?" he asked, glancing at Draco once.

"Yeah, come on," said Potter, leading the way through the portrait hole out of the common room.

As they walked, Draco hoped for the opportunity to try and learn the way from the common room to the Entrance Hall, but it was rather difficult to do this when a new question was shot at him every seven seconds.

"So you really don't know any of your family at all?" said Black.

"No."

"Growing up, Dumbledore must've taught you a lot of things," said Potter.

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Did he tell you about his past? About how he defeated Grindelwald? About his studies on dragon blood?" said Black.

"Y-yeah I think he did."

"Why have you only come to Hogwarts now?"

"Well, I—"

"What was it like growing up with muggles your whole life?"

"I dunno—"

"Hey, do you know of any famous Quidditch teams? Are you a fan at all?"

"Um—"

"I'm hosting Gryffindor's tryouts in two weeks, you have to try out for me—you do play, don't you?"

"What are you talking about, Jamesy? _Of course_ he plays. Can't you see he's got a beater's build?"

"Alright Padfoot, don't get your wand all tied up in a knot."

The two boys went on a rant and successfully drowned Draco out of the conversation, which he was quite grateful for. It was too early to answer many questions anyway. They entered the Great Hall moments after and walked towards the Gryffindor table with Potter and Black bickering the whole time.

"So tell me again," said Potter as he shoved Black aside to take the seat between Lupin and Pettigrew. Black smirked and walked around the table to sit next to Draco. "How come you're only coming to Hogwarts just now?"

Draco took his seat.

"I didn't really fancy coming earlier," he said.

Potter froze halfway through reaching for toast. Lupin, Black and Pettigrew were also staring at Draco, all of them wide-eyed.

"You what?" gasped Black.

Draco looked sideways at him and shrugged slightly.

"I dunno," he said, glancing at them all. "I…I was raised by muggles my whole life. And then this big wizard shows up one day and tells me I can do magic and there is this whole Wizarding World and all that…"

"Oh poor you," said Potter. "It must've been _dreadful_ to find out such a terrible thing like that!"

Black barked a laugh and then folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair, narrowing his eyes at Draco.

"I," said Draco, looking round at them all. They really _were_ the nosiest gits he'd ever met. "Well, it doesn't really matter, okay? I just didn't care that much about magic, that's all."

"But—" said Potter and Black at once, but Lupin gave them each a look and silenced them at once.

"Alright, alright," said Black. "Enough interrogation for one morning. Eat."

He handed Draco a glass of orange juice and poured one for Potter who took it, his eyes still narrowed at Draco. Draco ignored him and dived into his food without another word. Dumbledore had told him exactly how to answer that question, should it arise. He was meant to convince people that Dumbledore didn't think he was ready for familial complications that might rise with his coming to Hogwarts, and so he tutored him on his own until he believed Draco was mature enough to handle it. But Draco wasn't stupid. He knew exactly how this lot would react if he went with that story, so he decided to alter it a little bit. There was no harm in that. After all, it wasn't like Dumbledore was going to stand up from the staff table and give a speech to the whole school about why Draco was only joining now.

"Could I have your attention please?"

Draco's heart stopped. The Great Hall fell silent and everyone's eyes shifted to Dumbledore, who had gotten to his feet and smiled upon them all. No. Please. He wouldn't, would he? _Anything_ but this!

"I just wanted to remind you all that Mr. Filch is kindly requesting you do not use magic in the corridors between classes," he announced.

Draco breathed.

"That slimy git," said Potter, watching Mr. Filch standing near the staff table as Dumbledore took his seat again.

Draco looked round at Filch and was taken aback slightly. He looked a whole lot younger and there was no skeletal cat strapped to his chest like always.

"Who's he?" Draco found himself saying. He kept having to remind himself that he wasn't supposed to know anyone there.

"This new caretaker we got a couple of years back," said Black. He looked at Lupin. "When did he join?"

"In our third year," said Lupin. He turned to Draco. "He doesn't really handle magic well."

"Or students for that matter," Black added.

"We think he's a squib," said Potter. "You know, a person born into a Wizarding family without magic in them."

"Yeah, I know what it means," Draco muttered into his bowl.

By the time he was on his second helping of porridge, Professor McGonagall rose up from the staff table and began to approach the students at the Gryffindor table. One by one, she handed out the younger students' timetables and consulted the older students regarding their OWL results and their choices for NEWT courses. Draco's heart stopped. NEWT. _NEWT!_ He hadn't given NEWT a thought! He'd completely forgotten that this was the start of sixth year again. What _on earth_ was he supposed to tell McGonagall (and the others) when she reached him and asked for his results?

Trying his best to hide the worry that was building up inside of him now, Draco lowered his head and concentrated hard on the porridge in his bowl.

"Hey Prongs," said Black after a few moments. "Which NEWT courses are you selecting?"

Potter looked up from his morning edition of the _Daily Prophet_ newspaper and frowned.

"Dunno," he said. "Suppose Divination can't be it—I got a T in that."

"Oh that's splendid," said Lupin with a hint of sarcasm. "Way to go, James."

"Nah, it's alright," said Potter. "I don't care about Divination."

"Hey, I got a T in it too," said Black, who looked to be quite proud of himself for that.

He and Potter high-fived each other.

"Yeah well, _that_ we all saw coming," said Lupin, and the others laughed collectively.

"I suppose you got all O's on your exams?" said Black, dully, as he bit into a fresh piece of toast.

Lupin shrugged and looked away quickly. Draco smirked. So he was the smart one in the group then.

"How about you, Black?" said Potter, looking directly at him.

Draco's smirk faded quickly and he turned instantly pale. He looked round at the boys.

"Um," he managed to say, but before he could think of a lie to come up with, McGonagall interrupted with her cough.

"Mr. Black," she said, shuffling through the many papers in her hands.

"Yes?" said Draco and Black together.

Draco looked sideways and smiled weakly at the curly-haired boy smirking back at him.

"Oh, I um…suppose I'll have to get used to this," said McGonagall, awkwardly. "I shall proceed alphabetically then. Mr. _Draco_ Black…" Draco looked up at McGonagall. "Professor Dumbledore has provided me with your OWL results—" Draco's mouth fell open "—and as I'm sure you already know, you have achieved an Outstanding in every subject with the exception of Transfiguration, History of Magic and Charms, all of which you received an Exceeds Expectations in." Draco gulped nervously. _When_ did Dumbledore have the time to do all of this?! "So seeing as how you have no limitations set, the choice is yours. What will it be, Mr. Black?"

Draco looked round at the boys. They were all positively _gaping_ at him. Even Lupin looked slightly taken aback by McGonagall's revelation of Draco's supposed OWL results.

"Um," said Draco, trying hard to remember what he'd originally chosen for his first 6th year. He could barely remember because he'd been a little preoccupied to care what classes he slept through. "W-well…Defense against the Dark Arts I suppose…" McGonagall took down some notes and looked up at him through her glasses again, somewhat impatiently. "Um…Charms …" Draco froze as McGonagall took down the notes. He couldn't remember a single thing from before! This was really, _really_ not good.

"Might I make a suggestion?" said Potter, suddenly, turning both Draco's and McGonagall's heads towards him.

"You want to take Potions because Slughorn teaches it and he's brilliant. Then there's Transfiguration which of course is taught by the _wonderful_ Professor McGonagall (McGonagall scowled at Potter), and I'd also recommend Care of Magical Creatures because, well, why the heck not?"

Black laughed at this and nodded vigorously at Draco.

"Oh and also," Potter added, hastily, "You ought to take six classes—better yet, take five. That way, you'll have more time for Quidditch. I only take on the best, of course."

Lupin shook his head.

"Don't listen to them, Draco—just take whatever you want to take."

"W-well, I don't really know much about the classes offered here," Draco invented wildly. "W-what are you lot taking?"

McGonagall sighed heavily and turned to talk to the girl on Draco's other side.

"I'm taking Ancient Runes, Astronomy, Arithmancy…" said Lupin, counting off on his fingers.

"So basically all the 'genius' subjects," Black concluded. "Hold on—you're taking _Astronomy_?!"

"Yeah," said Lupin, shrugging.

" _Why on earth?!_ " cried Black and Potter together.

"I-it's a good subject!" the boy called Pete intervened. "I'm taking it too!"

"What is the _matter_ with you two?!" said Potter, staring at the pair of them with great disbelief. "Draco, you ought to go with the _normal_ subjects…Charms, Defense, Transfiguration, Potions…you know, the works."

Draco nodded.

"Jamesy here will be taking Muggle Studies, I expect," said Black, sniggering.

Potter kicked him hard under the table and Lupin let out a small laugh.

Draco thought hard. He really didn't care for Muggle Studies, but seeing as how he was supposed to have been brought up by muggles, it'd make more sense to take it so he could keep up his cover story. He sighed.

"Well, Mr. Black?" said McGonagall, turning round to look at him again. "What will it be?"

"Defense, Transfiguration, Charms," said Black lazily, counting the subjects on his fingers with an evil grin on his face.

"Mr. Black, _please_ , it's too early!" snapped McGonagall.

Black howled with laughter and Draco smiled weakly as the rest of the group also laughed quietly.

"Mr. _Draco_ Black," said McGonagall again. She looked like she was going to burst with impatience any minute.

"Um…" said Draco. "W-well, adding to what I said before, t-transfiguration, potions, um…a-astronomy…" he bit his lip, "Muggle studies and…h-history of magic."

"Very well, Mr. Black," said McGonagall. She tapped a piece of paper with her wand and handed it to him. "Here is your copy. Your first lesson for the day will be Potions with Professor Slughorn. I'm sure you will find a prefect in your house who can show you around the castle. Perhaps Mr. Lupin will be up to it?"

"Absolutely, professor," said Lupin brightly.

She nodded at him and turned to the boy called Pete. Meanwhile, Potter leaned forwards.

"Why'd you choose seven subjects?" he asked Draco. "That's quite a load."

Draco merely shrugged and glanced up at the staff table. Besides Dumbledore, the only people he recognised up there were little Flitwick and Slughorn. Well, at least he'd know three of his teachers. That was certainly something.

When McGonagall had finally gotten through all the sixth year Gryffindors, she moved on to the Ravenclaw table.

"Cool!" cried Black, looking down at his schedule. "We've all got Potions first period. That'll be cheerful with old Slughorn."

"Yeah and little Snivelly will probably be there," said Potter, smirking. Black grinned at him.

"Who's…?" began Draco, but he was ignored because the boys jumped to their feet, finishing off their food, and threw their bags over their shoulders.

Draco did the same and followed them out of the Great Hall. If his mother could see him now, trotting around with Harry Potter's father, godfather, a werewolf, and a pathetic, scrawny little boy called Pete—Draco's eyes widened in shock. _Pettigrew!_ Why, of course! How _could_ he have overlooked it?!

"You okay?" said Lupin, tapping Draco's shoulder as they walked.

"Huh?" said Draco, who realised he'd been staring at Pettigrew for a good couple of minutes. "Oh, yeah I'm fine."

So this was Wormtail— _the_ Wormtail. Wow, Draco sure felt stupid now for having overlooked it. He should have realised it the minute they'd been introduced!

"…and then the snitch just swivelled out of his hand!" Potter cried. Pettigrew smiled at him widely as he listened to the little story Potter was telling on their way to their first lesson of the day—Potions. "IT WAS AMAZING!"

"Relax Jamesy, or you'll give yourself a heart attack one of these days," said Black, jokingly.

"Blimey!" cried Potter, stopping dead in the corridor.

"What?" said the others.

"I forgot the map up in the dormitory!" said Potter, taking a few steps backwards. "Tell Slughorn I'll be late, okay?"

"Hang on—I'm coming with you!" said Black, racing after him.

"Guys!" cried Lupin, but they already disappeared from the hall. Draco's eyes were still on Pettigrew. "Ugh, they always do this! Do you know how many times I've had to explain to teachers where my two best friends had gone off to?"

Draco gave Lupin a small smile and followed him down the corridor, turning the corner and walking up some steps.

"What's 'the map'?" Draco dared ask, once it'd hit him that Potter and Black had run off to fetch this so-called map.

"It's nothing really," said Lupin, waving the subject away with his hand.

Draco shrugged and continued to follow him, all the while watching him closely. He really was nothing like his older self. Whatever made him the way he turned out to be?

"So," he said, slowly, trying to start up a conversation again.

"So," Lupin repeated, waiting.

"Why _did_ you take Astronomy?" said Draco. Lupin's face changed instantly. "I mean…from what I've heard, it's not the most fascinating class out there."

"Oh well, I dunno," said Lupin, quickly. "I just…did."

"But why?" Draco pressed.

Lupin shrugged.

"I've always been fascinated by cosmology and the moon and…um, come on, I think you'll really like Slughorn."

Realisation dawned upon Draco instantly, but he had no time to respond with anything because they entered the potions room and found that many of the students were already in their seats. Draco looked around briefly and concluded that the classroom looked exactly the same as it had in _his_ sixth year. Slughorn really hadn't changed that much—he was standing at his desk, shuffling through some pages and muttering to himself in a low voice.

"Morning, professor!" said Lupin, brightly.

Slughorn looked up.

"Ah Remus my boy, how're you today?"

"Fine, fine—this is Draco Black."

Draco felt his cheeks flush slightly as the professor surveyed him in the dim light of the potions room.

"Ah yes," he said, nodding in comprehension. "Welcome, Mr. Black. You're certainly not the first Black to enter my classroom—that's for sure."

"Professor Slughorn is always talking about how he's taught all the Blacks," Lupin informed him.

Draco nodded and followed him to a table, taking his seat and ignoring the way that every student in the classroom watched him intently. He reached into his bag and pulled out a brand new copy of _Advanced Potion Making_. Well, here we go again.

"Relax," Lupin told Pettigrew a few moments later. Draco realised Pettigrew was watching the door nervously. "They'll be here soon."

"I don't want us to lose any house points on the first day!" Pettigrew squealed.

Draco scoffed.

"Did you say something, Draco?" said Lupin, noticing.

"Me? No, nothing," said Draco, blankly.

Desperate to conceal the anger that was clearly building up inside of him now, Draco propped open his book and flipped through the pages, quickly and recklessly.

"Whoa, slow down!" said Lupin, staring at him. "You'll rip the poor things to pieces!"

"Sorry," Draco muttered, without the least bit intention of slowing down.

Snape never had told him what it was that Wormtail had done to make him hate him so much, but if it was big enough to make _Snape_ hate him, then it was big enough to make Draco hate him as well. The poor boy watched Draco nervously now. He was obviously not yet aware of whatever it was that he would do in the future to make future Snape hate him so much. And if Draco remembered correctly, the Dark Lord hadn't been that fond of Wormtail as well. So when exactly was he planning to switch over to the dark side, before Hogwarts graduation or after?

"Ah, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black!" cried Slughorn, and the class turned to the door to see the two boys panting their way into the room. "Nice of you to join us at last! Class started five minutes ago, I believe."

"Sorry, professor," they muttered together, taking their seats at the table with Draco, Lupin and Wormtail.

"Alright," said Slughorn, clapping his hands together once and looking up at the class. "Now that we're all settled in, let us begin. As you can see here, I've prepared a number of concoctions for your observation. Any idea what these might be?"

The class stared at the three different-coloured bottles sitting up at the front desk. Lupin's hand shot up into the air, almost automatically, reminding Draco of someone.

"Yes, my boy?" said Slughorn, smiling.

Lupin jumped from his seat and approached the front table. Black leaned in to Draco.

"Oy," he whispered. "What's up with you?"

"What?" said Draco, staring at him. He hadn't realised that he'd been glaring at Wormtail again.

Black smirked and glanced at Wormtail.

"I know he doesn't shower that much but don't blame the kid for that," he said, scornfully. Potter choked back a laugh, having overheard this bit. Wormtail stared at the boys, confused.

"Right," said Draco, giving Black the fakest grin and fixing his eyes up at the front where Lupin was correctly identifying Veritaserum.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Slughorn. "That'll be 10 points to Gryffindor. Well done!"

Draco groaned before he could stop himself. Both Potter and Black shot him curious looks. He quickly flashed them both grins and muttered "well done" to Lupin as he rejoined them at the table.

"Now," said Slughorn, coughing loudly to get the class's attention again. "As Mr. Lupin has clearly stated, this one over here is the most powerful love potion in the world. It can be quite deadly with disastrous results. However, the correct antidotes can have significant impact. So, here is what I request of you all today. Brew me the most effective antidote for a powerful love potion, recipes for which can be found in page 12 of your books. The instructions can be confusing so be sure to read them _carefully!_ And as a bonus, the student who manages to complete the potion first shall be awarded a solid fifty points for their house! Good luck to you all, and let the brewing commence!"

The students grabbed their books and hurried off to their cauldrons and set to work straightaway. Draco glanced back at Lupin, who seemed to have wandered away from their table to join some girl. He noticed that Potter was also watching Lupin curiously. Black opened up his book, flipped the pages, and frowned.

"Oy Draco," he said, his eyes still on the page. "Dumbledore teach you any good potion tricks?"

Draco's eyes darted away from Lupin—who was now accepting some kind of a twig from a redheaded girl in Gryffindor on the other end of the classroom—and stared at Black.

"What?" he said, blankly.

"Seriously, what's the matter with you?" laughed Black, glancing at him curiously. "You don't look like you're on this planet at all right now."

"Oh," said Draco, smirking. "Right. Um, yeah Dumbledore's taught me some stuff." He opened up his book to page 12 and scanned it.

 _ANTIDOTE TO LOVE POTION_

 _BREWING INSTRUCTIONS:_

 _1\. Add four Wiggentree twigs, or until the potion turns green._

 _2\. Stir until the potion turns orange._

 _3\. Add castor oil until the potion turns blue._

 _4\. Stir until the potion turns purple._

 _5\. Add extract of Gurdyroot until the potion turns red._

 _6\. Add Wiggentree twigs._

 _7\. Add Extract of Gurdyroot until the potion turns purple._

 _8\. Leave the potion to simmer till it turns red._

 _9\. Add more gurdyroot extract till it turns green._

 _10\. Stir till it turns orange._

 _11\. Add seven Wiggentree twigs._

 _12\. Allow to simmer till it turns pink._

Funny. Draco remembered brewing this exact potion at around October in his original sixth year. _Well, this shouldn't be too difficult then_ , he thought.

"I'm going to go get the Wiggentree twigs," he said to a curious-looking Black, and he turned around without waiting for an answer and approached one of the cupboards.

He ignored the way that many heads turned as he passed the various tables and propped open one of the cupboards, peering inside.

"Here's a fresh pack," said a voice behind him.

He spun around. The same redheaded girl that Lupin had been talking to only moments ago (he was back at the table with the others now) was smiling at Draco and holding out a package of what looked like a load of Wiggentree twigs. Draco stared at the girl. Her face was slightly shadowed by the dim lights in the room but even in the terrible light, he could tell that she was smiling brightly at him.

"Um thanks," said Draco, snatching the package from her and moving back to his table.

"…still, I really don't appreciate it, Moony, and you know exactly why," Potter was saying as Draco rejoined them. "Oh good, you got the twigs. Thanks, mate."

Draco nodded.

"Look James," said Lupin, sighing heavily. "I've told you many times before and I'll tell you again—it means _nothing_ , okay? She's just a really good friend! Come on, you can understand that, can't you?"

Potter shrugged and began to cut up four twigs for himself. He then tossed the package to Black who separated four for himself and passed it to Wormtail. Draco got up several times during the lesson's duration to fetch more ingredients from the cupboards, as did Lupin. None of the others seemed to have even the slightest intention of getting up and getting one of the items themselves. Draco and Lupin simply took turns fetching ingredients for them, while _they_ took turns helping themselves to the ingredients and passing them around the table. What gits. _Like father like son_ , Draco thought as he watched Potter curiously near the end of the lesson.

"Well then, let's see what have we here," said Slughorn, moving to their table and placing his glasses on the edge of his nose as he peered inside Draco's cauldron. "What—my goodness, this is magnificent! It's absolutely perfect!"

 _Well it'd have to be in his second time around_ , Draco thought. However if he remembered correctly, he'd originally messed up the potion during his first try, months ago. Oh well. That life did not seem to matter in this world.

"And Mr. Lupin, I see, has also managed to brew the perfect antidote!" Slughorn exclaimed as he wheeled around to survey Lupin's potion. "Very well done, boys! Well, as promised. Fifty points for Gryffindor! Eh, let's make it sixty."

Several students in the classroom applauded or cried "Well done!" Draco scratched his nose and shut his potions book. He really didn't like being the center of attention. It was _humiliating_.

"Uh Mr. Black," said Slughorn, glancing at Black's potion with a disgusted look on his face, "Try for less Gurdyroot next time."

At this, Potter let out a wild laugh and Black slapped his arm with his potions book.

At the end of the lesson, the two jumped from the table and raced out the door. Just before they exited the classroom however, they bumped into a figure at the door, causing it to fall to the floor and its books to topple out of its hands, thumping loudly.

"Whoops, sorry Snivelly!" the boys cried, laughing as they ran out.

Lupin sighed in frustration and approached the boy on the floor by the door. Draco turned round to look at him. His eyes widened as soon as he recognised the mysterious character.

"Here, lemme help you," he heard Lupin say, but the boy shoved him aside and collected the books in a hurried manner. He jumped to his feet, cast Draco a glance for a fraction of a second, and hurried out the door.

Oh no, thought Draco. He'd seen him, Draco, with his school tormentors. It all came back to Draco now, and his heart ached as he realised that, given Draco's cover story and his cover 'friends', Severus Snape now hated him as well.

* * *

"So…J-James is Quidditch captain then," said Draco, conversationally, as he and Lupin made their way to their next lesson. Draco was still looking around the corridors wildly, hoping to catch another glimpse of Snape…hoping to somehow explain—to convince that he was _not_ their best mate. But Snape was nowhere to be found. He'd run off in such a hurry that Draco had had no time to even smile at him—to be reassuring in any way. _Perfect_.

"Yeah, he's a little obsessed with Quidditch," said Lupin, answering his question. Draco gave him a look. "Okay, a lot obsessed. Oh well, at least he plays fair and likes to include everyone. I remember all those times he and Sirius tried to recruit me when we were younger."

"How come you never went for it?" Draco wondered, glancing sideways again when he thought he'd seen someone with long black hair pass by.

"I don't really care about Quidditch," he heard Lupin say.

Draco looked round at him incredulously. If Draco remembered correctly, Lupin would later attend every Quidditch game Harry Potter played in, at least during his time as a teacher at Hogwarts. But now, Lupin made a face Draco couldn't quite understand.

"I've just had other things to do and don't really have time for Quidditch," said Lupin, flatly, as they turned the corner.

"I feel the same way," Draco muttered, doubting Lupin had heard him.

"Why _is_ Potter...uh, I mean James, taking Muggle Studies?" Draco asked a few moments later.

Lupin smiled.

"He has his reasons," he said, simply. "Come on; let's save seats—Sirius will join soon."

Draco followed him into the classroom and found one other person already sitting there.

"Hi Remus!" said the girl with the bright red hair. Draco suppressed a groan. She looked just like a Weasley. She was probably Weaslebee's mother or aunt or some distant cousin. They had too many kids for their own good anyway.

"Hey Lily," said Lupin, brightly. He went to sit next to the girl at the front and motioned for Draco to save the two seats just behind them. "This is Draco Black, by the way. He's new this year."

"Yes, I know," said the girl called Lily. "We've actually already met in Potions. Nice to see you again, Draco!"

"Yeah, you too," said Draco, taking the seat behind her and pulling out his _History of Magic_ book.

Lupin and the girl suddenly delved into an exchange of information about their chosen NEWT courses, both of them completely forgetting that Draco was sitting there. And so, Draco waited as students slowly entered the classroom. Professor Binns was sitting up at the front, reading a book. Draco had forgotten that he'd be there. He'd died ages ago so _of course_ he'd be there.

When the bell rang and the lesson finally began, Draco looked around the classroom until he spotted the person he'd wanted to see. Snape was sitting at the back of the class, at a desk in the corner, all by himself. He was staring gloomily up at the front—up at Lupin and the redheaded girl. Draco frowned. Snape looked to be in quite a bit of pain as he watched them feverishly taking notes. He then caught Draco's eye and quickly looked down at his notebook, copying down some of his own notes. Draco bit his lip. Something was definitely wrong.

Black ran into the classroom ten minutes late, though Binns didn't seem to care or even notice. He smirked at Lupin as he moved to sit next to Draco and propped open his book.

"Why are you always late?" Draco asked in a whisper.

"Had an urgent meeting just now," Black said, smirking even more now. Draco stared at him curiously, but Black shook his head and began to flip the pages of his notebook until he found a clear page. He dipped his quill in ink and began to write.

Draco decided to take some notes down. Though, just after ten minutes, he got quickly bored of Binns' dull lecture. Well, at least _that_ hadn't changed one bit. Suddenly, Black tossed a torn page at Draco and nodded at it. Draco unfolded the paper and frowned. Black wasn't taking class notes. He was writing _him_ a message!

 _Her name is Ellen Bennet. She's a Ravenclaw and mighty fine too. We began talking last year and she's been writing to me all summer. She said she couldn't wait to have me so close to her that she'd be able to smell my peppermint breath. Well, I couldn't pass that up now, could I?_

Draco smirked. He dipped his quill in ink and wrote below Black's message,

 _Was she pleased?_

Black grinned down at the page once Draco tossed it back to him and quickly scribbled on it,

 _Well, I'm not one to brag but she'll soon be coming back for more, I imagine._

Draco smiled at the page again and then looked up at the professor, who was completely oblivious to what was going on. Black snatched the page from Draco again and wrote on it. Meanwhile, Draco looked back at Snape, who was now sulking over in his little corner, still watching Lupin and the girl. Or was it just the girl? Draco couldn't tell. Every time Snape realised he was watching him, he looked away frustratingly.

 _You've had girls before, right?_

Draco stared down at the sheet that Black had just tossed him, thinking of Pansy. Well, he supposed that would count. They hadn't been exclusive or anything, but they also weren't _just housemates_. If he had been born into another family with a different destiny—if he had had a different life altogether, then perhaps they would have worked out. And suddenly, Draco wanted to smack himself. He _did_ have another life. Right now, right there. _This_ was his second chance. He could actually try and pursue relationships this time. He _had_ time for it now. Why not?

 _Of course I have_ , he responded and Black seemed perfectly satisfied with that answer.

At the end of the lesson, Draco had concluded three things. One, he liked Black a whole lot better now. Two, the redheaded girl sure liked to show off how much she knew in class—what a typical Granger. And three, Professor Binns' lectures were as dull as ever, even in this timeline.

The rest of the day's lessons were pretty uneventful. Draco spent most of the time following Lupin around, since he seemed to know exactly what to say or do in any given situation, and he also seemed to prefer answering any questions directed at Draco before Draco could even come up with lies. So, feeling lazy, Draco let him do all the work and focused only on observing the others as carefully as he could. Yep. Potter was definitely the alpha of their little pack. If Black were a girl, he'd be Mrs. Alpha. He definitely seemed to follow Potter around like a puppy, although Potter sometimes followed him around and they certainly did an equal amount of teasing, so Black certainly was no underdog. If anybody was an underdog in fact, it was Wormtail, who laughed when the others laughed and agreed when the others agreed. He was like one of those shadows that followed you around stubbornly and wouldn't give up even when you tried to shove them aside.

At around dinnertime, Draco excused himself from the others to go and put his things away in the common room. But he regretted this choice almost as soon as he'd left them because it took him _ages_ to find Gryffindor Tower, and when he finally had, he stood in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady stupidly, and wondered about the password. Thankfully, a few Gryffindors exited through the portrait hole just then—on their way to dinner—and gave him strange looks as he rushed past them inside. He dumped his bag on his bed and hurried back, hoping to catch up with them so they'd lead him back to the Great Hall. But by the time he'd left the common room, the corridor was deserted. Perfect.

He wandered around aimlessly for what felt like ages. He swore he must be walking around in circles because the Great Hall was nowhere to be found. Was Hogwarts really that big? After six years of living and studying there, was he still yet to be ambushed by foreign corridors?

"Keep your voice down, will you?!" someone hissed.

Draco stopped in the hall and looked around. Two voices were whispering in some corner somewhere. Draco strained his ears to listen.

"Look, I just want to know. You can't blame me for being curious, can you, Sirius?"

Draco's eyebrows shot up. He tiptoed until he was up against the wall and moved down the corridor, listening intently.

"I don't blame you," said Black's hushed voice. "Look Reg, I know we've had our differences—" (someone scoffed) "—but I need you to do this, alright? Like you said, you're curious too. So why don't you just put our differences aside and do this for me—for _us_ —so we could _both_ know the truth?"

"Fine," said another voice. "I'll write to mother."

"That's all I wanted," said Black, sounding pleased with this answer.

"Wait!" said the unknown voice. "So…so he really has no idea who his parents are?"

"None whatsoever."

"And...and what's he like?"

There was a pause.

"He's quite a laugh," answered Black. And even though Draco couldn't see him, he could tell that he was smirking.

Footsteps echoed through the corridor now, descending as they moved further and further away. Draco remained there in the deserted area, his back still up against the wall, his heart thumping. He knew this would happen. The two Black brothers were now very curious about him and preparing to involve their parents in this. How _could_ Dumbledore be so stupid so as to suggest that Draco introduce himself as a _Black_?!

* * *

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	3. The Snake Under the Lion

**A/N : Dear readers, thanks for helping us reach 350 views! We'd especially like to thank** **_DarkLunar1312_ for your in-depth opinions on the chapters so far! We hope you continue to enjoy them. Also, this story will soon be available in Korean, thanks to the wonderful _wevertaRK1D_! Message them for details. And finally, this chapter introduces one of many OC's we think you'll be very interested in. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 3: THE SNAKE UNDER THE LION

"You know, if you keep pacing like this, you are going to create holes in my office floors," said Dumbledore, courteously.

"No offense, but I really don't care right now," said Draco, the speed of his pacing the same.

"I care," Dumbledore pointed out. "My office floors didn't do anything to upset you—they shouldn't be treated this way."

Draco stopped his pacing and turned to look at the old man leaning against his chair, smiling at him serenely.

"Please tell me you're joking," he said.

"Now, now, Draco, you shan't take the simple things in life for granted," said Dumbledore. "You never know just when you'll really need them."

Draco scoffed at the old man and resumed his pacing. His heart was still beating very rapidly. Only ten minutes ago, he'd been eavesdropping on Sirius' conversation with his brother about involving their parents in the mystery of Draco's ancestry. As soon as they'd gone off to dinner, Draco had stormed shakily into Dumbledore's office and had told him every last detail of that conversation. He'd been pacing ever since.

"There is no need for you to be panicking like so," said Dumbledore, his smile finally vanishing from his pale face. "Nothing has happened."

"That's hilarious," said Draco, his pacing still continuing around the circular office.

The various portraits of headmasters and headmistresses were glaring down at him from the walls. He could hear some of them muttering, "Such disrespect!" but ignored them.

"Regulus and Sirius are good boys, Draco," said Dumbledore, still calmly. "It is only natural that they should want their parents to investigate the mysterious new relative."

"It was a bloody stupid idea when you suggested it, and it's a bloody stupid idea now!" Draco blurted out, pausing to look at Dumbledore, who looked slightly befuddled by this accusation.

Draco closed his eyes and took a breath to restrain himself before speaking again.

"Professor," he said, as calmly as he possibly could. "I really think we're in trouble here."

"How so?"

"Well…I…oh, just imagine how ridiculous I'll look when one of their parents shows up randomly at the school to meet me and realises that I'm just some stranger kid and—"

"But you're not," said Dumbledore. Draco stared at him. "From what you've told me, you _are_ a relative…distant, yes, but still relative."

"That's in a completely different lifetime," Draco muttered, his eyes now on the portrait of a snoozing wizard he recognised instantly. His parents had told him about him so many times—Phineas Nigellus Black, the only Hogwarts headmaster to have been in Slytherin house. Dumbledore followed Draco's gaze before speaking.

"I think you and I both agree that many things…uh, _changed_ upon your arrival here, yes?"

Draco gave him a questioning look.

"What I mean to say is, certain things that were meant to happen have now faltered from their paths," Dumbledore explained. "I trust you understand this."

"I guess," said Draco, shrugging slightly. "But what does this have to do with the fact that I'll most likely be murdered in a few days' time, when the Blacks realise I'm lying to them?"

"But you're not," said Dumbledore, leaning forwards in his chair suddenly and crossing his hands on the desk. "As far as anyone else is concerned, you were dropped off at a muggle orphanage when you were just an infant, with a note stating your name and birthday. You are unaware of the rest of the details—please, have a seat, Draco. It's far too difficult to talk to you normally when you're pacing uncontrollably."

Draco sighed and took the seat across from Dumbledore, his eyes lingering over the portrait of Phineas Nigellus again, desperately hoping that he actually was asleep and not listening to all these lies that Draco and Dumbledore were cooking up.

"I wonder," said Dumbledore, casually reaching for a lemon drop from a basket on his desk, "How you find your housemates?"

"How do you mean?" said Draco.

"Well, I imagine they are not exactly what you are used to."

"They—oh, you mean because I'm in Gryffindor this time…" Dumbledore nodded. "Yeah, well…it's sort of weird to be talking to the young version of one of my teachers and—"

"Uh, which one is that?" said Dumbledore, looking highly interested.

"Um, Lupin," said Draco, slowly.

Dumbledore chuckled.

"I'd have thought it was him," he said, smiling to himself. "Does he want to go into teaching?"

"How should I know?—I only met him bloody 24 hours ago!" Draco demanded.

Dumbledore nodded in understanding and leaned back in his chair again, surveying Draco from behind those half-moon spectacles of his. Draco sighed in frustration and put his head in his hands.

"You worry for nothing, dear boy," he heard Dumbledore say.

Draco looked up.

"Look, no offense, professor, but I really don't think you understand the seriousness of the situation! If the Blacks realise that I'm lying and decide to kill me—or worse—then I won't be able to warn Potter and the others that their best friend who is trotting after them like a bloody house-elf is going to later end up betraying one of them, and surrendering himself to the Dark Lord, and—"

"Stop, Draco," Dumbledore interrupted.

Draco blinked.

"Why?"

"Because I have told you before, it is not a good idea for you to tell me all that you know," said Dumbledore, simply. "And please don't insult the house-elves; they haven't done anything to you either…that I know of, that is, though I will be thoroughly surprised if you can convince me otherwise."

"Ah," said Draco, looking around the circular office. "But it's okay for _them_ to know, right?" he indicated the portraits on the walls but Dumbledore only smiled in response. "W-well, you wanted to know the stuff about Lupin…"

"Yes, but I would rather you not reveal the more important things to me just yet," said Dumbledore. "Now, it is getting late and you are well past your curfew." Dumbledore got to his feet, ignoring Draco's obvious eye roll, and moved around the desk to shake his hand. He then led him to the office door and opened it for him. "You have yourself a good night, Draco—I'll be in touch."

"Right," said Draco, moving past him to exit the office.

"Draco, hold on," said Dumbledore suddenly, and Draco spun around quickly. "I'm not sure what my future self might have told you, but my current self senses that you are agitated by your being here, is that correct?"

Draco stared at him.

"I don't know why you came back, though I'm sure I will soon," Dumbledore continued, "But I just want you to know that if being here is not something that you want, there are ways we can try to resolve it."

"H-how do you mean, professor?"

"Well, time travel is a tricky thing but there are definitely many remedies out there to time travel gone wrong… and I would have no problem studying them over the next couple of weeks in order to find a way to get you back to your timeline."

Draco's mouth fell slightly open as he gaped at the professor.

"The only question is, are you staying or are you going?"

He walked along the darkened corridors with his hands in his pockets and his head bowed, thinking. He'd never been in Dumbledore's office before and he'd certainly never imagined that when he would eventually come there, it would be to pace and yell at him for his stupid plans. This was definitely strange. But Dumbledore had it right the night Draco had come to tell him he had gone back in time: It was _Draco_ now, not Dumbledore, who exercised the control (though only because he knew more than Dumbledore could ever hope to know without him). But it was stupid of Dumbledore to insist that he tell him nothing. What then was the whole point of Draco coming back in the first place?

He had no idea how he'd managed to make it back to Gryffindor Tower without getting in trouble with a teacher for being out after hours. He absentmindedly gave the password to the Fat Lady and climbed his way in through the portrait hole to the empty common room. He dragged his feet across the carpeted floor to the spiral staircase when he heard something fall. His wand was out in no time and he whirled around to see what had made the noise. Sirius was standing by the fireplace, looking at Draco with disbelief, while the others remained sitting on the couches nearby, all of them staring at him too.

"Oh, h-hi," said Draco, lowering his wand slowly. "What are you all doing here?"

"Waiting for _you_ , of course!" said Sirius, in a slightly accusatory voice.

Draco stepped forwards, pocketing his wand again.

"Me?" he said, glancing over at Potter, Lupin and Wormtail before looking back at Sirius. "What for?"

"You weren't at dinner," said Potter, leaning forwards on the couch. "We thought—"

"We thought you got lost in the castle!" Lupin blurted out quickly, giving Potter a sharp look.

"So where were you?" said Sirius, who only sat down once Draco did.

"Dumbledore's office," said Draco, before he could stop himself. His heart skipped a beat. The others watched him pointedly. "Um, he called me in to verify something with my courses."

"That's McGonagall's job," said Potter, his eyes narrowed at Draco.

"Hey look, I don't know, okay?" he said, jumping to his feet and shrugging slightly. "Bed." He didn't wait for them to say anything, but ran ahead to the staircase and hurried his way up to the dormitory. He did not shut the door however. He left it open just a crack and sunk to the floor very quietly so that he was in earshot of what was happening down in the common room.

"Something is up with him," said a voice Draco strongly suspected belonged to James Potter. "He totally just lied to us about where he'd been."

"Not necessarily," said Lupin. A chair scraped somewhere. "He might've been where he said he was, but for different reasons perhaps."

"True," said Sirius. There was a pause. "W-what do you guys think of him?"

"What do you mean?" said Potter.

"I mean, what do you guys think of him?" repeated Sirius.

There was a moment of silence.

"He's smart, that's for sure," said someone very quietly, though Draco did not need to strain his ears to guess that it was Lupin.

"He's sketchy but in a good sort of way," said Potter.

"What do _you_ think of him, Sirius?" said Wormtail.

Draco sneered.

"I dunno," said Sirius, and Draco heard a couch move. There was more silence. "He's quite a laugh—it's just…"

"What is it, Padfoot?" said Potter.

Draco held his breath so he wouldn't miss a word.

"It's hard for me to believe that there is actually someone else in my family who is decent," said Sirius, finally. "Andy and I have always been the only ones with sane minds."

"What about Regulus?" said Lupin.

There was another pause.

"Change of subject," said Sirius.

"Okay," said Lupin. "How about the fact that this kid is now sharing our dormitory?"

"What's wrong with that?" said Wormtail.

"Everything!" said Lupin.

Draco gasped. Lupin had been the most welcoming out of all the boys and now he was protesting Draco's interference in their dormitory?!

"Relax Moony, he won't know a thing about your wolfiness, okay?" said Potter, lazily.

Draco breathed.

"I can't relax, James," said Lupin, very seriously. "If the wrong person finds out, it won't end well."

"But Draco doesn't seem like the wrong person," said Wormtail. "He seems nice."

"You can't go trusting everyone now, Wormtail," said Potter. There was another short silence. "Look, let's just take it one day at a time, alright? Who knows, we might end up trusting him enough to actually let him in on your little—"

"No, James," said Lupin, in an extremely serious tone Draco had never heard before.

"I won't say anything without your permission," said Potter, quietly.

The boys stood up from the couches and there were many footsteps. Draco clicked the door shut and launched at his bed, covering himself in the blankets so they wouldn't see that he hadn't changed out of uniform. They entered the dormitory quietly and made for their beds. After they'd changed, they whispered goodnight and went to sleep right away, which was shocking to Draco considering how loudly his heart was thumping now.

The next morning, he awoke to a pillow hitting him hard on the head.

"Getup!" yelled Potter, who was scrambling about the dormitory to get dressed. "We overslept—breakfast will be over soon."

Draco jumped out of bed and joined the boys in hurriedly getting dressed.

"W-where is Lupin?" he wondered as they finally pulled on their cloaks and scrambled out the door with their bags over their shoulders.

Potter gave him a strange look.

"What?" asked Draco.

"You call him _Lupin_?" said Potter. Draco reddened slightly. "He's an early riser, haven't I told you?"

"Well, why didn't he wake us up then?" said Draco, mentally kicking himself for the name slip.

"He did," said Potter. They were out of the portrait hole now and running along the corridor towards the stairs. "We fell asleep again."

They arrived in the Great Hall completely out of breath. Potter was right, most of the students were already leaving now. The Gryffindor table had several open spots, but Potter went straight for the seats around Remus, who was sitting with that Lily girl.

"Hey there," said Potter, taking a seat before they could answer him.

"Morning," said Remus, who looked very tired.

Draco followed the others and sat down as well.

"It's about time you lot arrived," Remus added.

"Yeah, thanks for the wakeup call," Potter muttered, sarcastically.

"Hey, I woke you guys up!" said Remus. "It's not my fault you went right back to sleep."

"Well you still could've tried waking us up again," said Potter.

"Well maybe next time, you could try getting up earlier yourself," said the girl called Lily, who looked absolutely appalled at Potter's suggestion.

Potter rolled his eyes at her.

"Stay out of this, Evans, will you?" he said.

Lily Evans scoffed. Remus looked as though he were about to say something but before he could, Lily got to her feet, grabbed her bag and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"Nice going, Jamesy," said Sirius. "You know, I think you're wearing her down a bit—I really do."

Potter threw an apple at him, which Sirius caught gracefully, gave him a mock bow, and bit into.

For the next little while, they ate quietly like hungry wolves. Remus just drank his tea and flipped through that morning's edition of the _Daily Prophet_. Wormtail was the first to finish and he and Remus both went ahead to the first lesson of the day—Transfiguration. Draco finished next but decided to wait until Sirius was done. But Sirius was purposefully eating slowly so that he could try and cheer Potter up, who looked to be in a terrible mood now.

"Don't worry so much about it, mate," he kept saying.

"You don't get it, Padfoot," said Potter, quietly. "I'm running out of time."

"Time for what?" Draco wondered.

"Nothing," said Potter and Sirius together.

Draco growled into his empty cereal bowl. He hated being left out of the loop, but he supposed they would feel the exact same way if they knew he was from the future and he refused to tell them things. He could just imagine Potter's reaction if he found out that he would later father a son who would become the Boy Who Lived, or Sirius' reaction if he found out that he would later be put in Azkaban for a crime he never committed, and then escape only to be killed.

"…and then we'll go from there, alright?" Sirius whispered.

Potter nodded into his plate, and then shoved it aside.

"Come on, let's get going then."

He and Sirius got to their feet and made for the Great Hall exit. Sirius looked back several times to check that Draco was following them closely behind. When they arrived at their first lesson of the day—Transfiguration—Sirius pulled Draco with him to a pair of desks on the far right-hand side and motioned for him to sit down. Draco sat, looking puzzled. Up ahead, Remus was sitting with that Lily girl and just behind them, Potter was with Wormtail. Draco suppressed a groan. It was quite sickening, seeing the two of them together when he knew what was to happen later on.

"You alright, Draco?" Sirius said in a hushed tone.

Draco forced his eyes away from Wormtail and nodded.

"What's got you pissed?" said Sirius.

"I'm fine," Draco snapped.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at him, but before he could speak, Professor McGonagall appeared at the front of the classroom and opened a large textbook in her hands.

"Welcome to NEWT level Transfiguration," she said, her eyes on the pages in front of her. "Your being here means you have scored at least an Exceeds Expectations in Transfiguration on your OWLs. Congratulations."

Potter turned around to wink at Sirius.

"Now, I understand it has been a while since you've had the need to even think about Transfiguration," said McGonagall. "So, open up your books to page 3. We'll refresh."

As a whole, it had been a fairly enjoyable class, considering Draco knew every last detail of what they covered in those two hours. But he spent most of the lesson either watching Potter and Wormtail, waking Sirius up whenever McGonagall was passing by, or looking back at Snape who sat at the very back and whose eyes were always on that Lily girl. Draco sighed. He just had to go back in time to the middle of all this annoying, teenage drama.

After the lesson, Draco decided to tag along Remus since Potter was having a hushed conversation with Sirius and obviously did not want Draco listening in (though neither of them actually told him to go away). It still irritated him very much so he moved away from them. Remus was walking with Lily and discussing McGonagall's lesson in-depth. Wormtail was pacing to keep up with them, several books clattered in his small hands. Draco scowled at him but said nothing. He looked around as they walked. Snape had just been behind them but he'd disappeared off to somewhere. If only he, Draco, had some kind of a tool that could help him see where all of them were at all times. . . It was pretty exhausting having to keep track of all of them.

They arrived at Defense against the Dark Arts where Potter insisted that Draco sit with him, while Sirius grabbed Lupin and sat him down next to him. Draco strongly suspected that this had been done purposely to keep Remus away from Lily (who ended up sitting next to a Gryffindor girl). He said this much to Potter once they sat down, but Potter simply shook his head.

"We just figured we'd all take turns sitting with you in every class," he said, innocently.

Draco's eyes remained firmly fixed on him even after the professor—whom Draco did not recognise at all—came into the classroom. The man looked to be in his thirties, and somehow reminded Draco a great deal of grown-up Snape. Though, he did not look at the students with distaste and revulsion. Instead, he walked over to the desk, set his briefcase on it, and turned to face the students with his hands behind his dark cloak.

"Welcome to defense against the dark arts at the NEWT level," he said. "My name is Ajax Claybrook and I will be taking over for Madame Bernabei while she recovers from her accident at St. Mungo's."

Draco looked round at Potter who shrugged at him.

"This class is no joke. In fact, it is probably the most useful class that this school can offer you young witches and wizards, so I expect the utmost attention and commitment from all of you." He took a step forwards and scanned the room with his blazing green eyes. "I hope you all had a good summer, but now it is time to get in focus again. Let us get started." He moved to the front of the classroom again and flipped through the pages of a book on his desk.

"What happened to Madame Bernabei?" Draco wrote on the inside of his notebook before subtly passing it along to Potter.

 _She got a terrible rash at the end of last year after an outing with Professors Slughorn and Sprout_.

Draco smirked at the sheet. So Quirrell died, Lockhart lost his memory, Lupin resigned, Moody wasn't really Moody, and Umbridge got sacked. It seemed that the curse on the defense teaching post was no surprise to the students in this timeline either.

"Why don't you all write your names down on this sheet?" said Claybrook, passing a blank page to Lily. "Pass that along."

Draco jumped in his seat. Potter had pinched him. He gave him a questioning look but Potter indicated the notebook on his desk. Draco squinted at it.

 _Why were you really at Dumbledore's last night? You can tell me, I won't say anything to the others._

Draco rolled his eyes and wrote just underneath,

 _I already told you!_

But Potter looked disappointed with this answer. He really was a very nosey bloke, wasn't he? Draco hesitated before adding,

 _Dumbledore said he wants to give me private lessons to better my understanding of some things that will be taught this year_.

Potter frowned before taking his quill and writing,

 _But don't you already know like a ton, since Dumbledore practically raised you?_

 _I know a lot but apparently, not enough to keep me at the Outstanding level in every subject_ , Draco lied. He silently kicked himself. The further he went into this, the more he'd have to explain to Dumbledore later on. Crap.

 _Alright, then why didn't you tell us this before?_

Draco quickly put the notebook away as Claybrook came around their end of the classroom and stopped to look at the students.

"The Dark Arts are most definitely the second best counter to a Dark Wizard—the first being the Dark Arts themselves," he said. "However, seeing as how only Durmstrang Institute allows for said teaching, you will have to make do with Defense against the Dark Arts instead."

As soon as Claybrook had walked to the back of the class, Draco pulled out the notebook again and scribbled on it before passing it back to Potter.

 _I didn't tell you guys about it because I thought you wouldn't believe me, given that I have technically been raised by Albus Dumbledore._

Potter wrote, _Well do you have any reasons to lie to us?_

 _No_ , Draco wrote, in as clear a handwriting as he could possibly muster.

Potter smirked at him.

 _I like you, mate. Sirius is right, you're quite a laugh_.

"Thanks," Draco whispered, and he quickly put away the notebook because Claybrook had moved to the front of the classroom again.

Well, at least he'd gained the alpha dog's approval now, thought Draco. Even though, gaining the approval of a Potter was not exactly something he'd ever write on a bucket list. In fact, this whole thing was just too weird and he found that today, he felt more irritated with Potter than he had yesterday. Perhaps, he was now getting over the aftershock of the time travel.

"But professor," said Remus, raising his hand in the air but not waiting for permission to speak. "Using dark arts to deal with dark wizards is like trying to fight fire with fire! It's a paradox!"

"What is your name?" said Claybrook.

"Remus Lupin, sir," said Remus.

"Well Mr. Lupin, it is a proven fact that the dark arts are the best counter for dealing with dark wizards, and defense against the dark arts merely serves as a poor substitute. If you are unsure, ask your History of Magic teacher how ministry aurors used to deal with dark wizards in the past. I'm sure you'll be very surprised. Now, let's continue with—"

"But sir!" cried Remus, neglecting to raise his hand this time. "That was a long time ago—it was at a time when the wizarding community was still trying to define right from wrong and setting down its laws. Things have changed a lot since then!"

Claybrook paused to look at Remus. For a split second, Draco thought he was going to attack him. But instead, he smirked (and the female population of the classroom sighed collectively).

"Mr. Lupin, was it?" said Claybrook.

"Yes sir," said Remus, as fearlessly as one possibly could.

"Take five points for Gryffindor," said Claybrook, "I admire a young wizard who isn't afraid of speaking his mind. Now then…"

Potter nudged Draco again and he gave him a questioning look. Potter tilted his head at the students behind them, so Draco wheeled around in his seat and gasped. Each and every girl in that classroom was gazing up at Claybrook as if he were some sort of god. Claybrook seemed completely immune to it and continued to slowly pace the classroom as he discussed the dark arts. Draco's eyes fell upon Snape at the back of the class, whose head was now in his hands. Oh how Draco so wished that he could walk up to him and just talk to him—nothing more. Just talk. But he knew that was impossible to do with Potter, Remus, Wormtail and Sirius always on his shoulders. They really didn't seem to like Snape at all, and from what Draco had gathered so far, the feeling was definitely mutual.

"It's mental!" exclaimed Potter two hours later when the boys left the classroom and headed to Gryffindor Tower to drop off their bags before lunch. "Did you see how all those girls were gaping at him?"

"I don't get it," said Sirius, shaking his head.

"But did you two actually listen to his lesson at all?" said Remus, who looked quite angry.

"No," said Potter and Sirius together.

Remus looked to Draco for support and he nodded in response.

"He talks about the dark arts as though they are something to be encouraged and taken pride in!" he exclaimed.

Again, Draco nodded. He had indeed noticed that. But funnily enough, Snape used to do the exact same thing. Draco had quite enjoyed that. Though, now realising what teaching such things to young witches and wizards led to, he decided that it was not so enjoyable after all. He glared at Wormtail again, but he didn't notice.

"I heard some teacher say that Claybrook used to be a Durmstrang student," Wormtail offered, as the boys climbed up the stone steps at the front of the school.

"It makes so much sense!" cried Remus, who was still fuming with anger. "I'm completely appalled by this teacher—how could Dumbledore hire someone like this?"

"I'm sure he was just desperate, considering everyone knows what becomes of those who take on this particular teaching post," said Sirius, dully. "Come on, guys—I'm starving."

After a hurried lunch, the boys went outside for a bit of air before attending Flitwick's Charms lesson, which was rather enjoyable. He had them practicing the summoning charm that day, which Draco was thankfully fluent at. He and Remus enjoyed a lot of praise from their classmates that day when they were the only ones who could fluently perform. Potter and Sirius also managed it, but not as quickly as Draco and Remus had. Wormtail's wand had flown out of his hands before he could even say the incantation, which made several students laugh.

After Charms, the boys said goodbye to Potter and Wormtail—who went back to the common room for their free period—and headed over to History of Magic with good old Professor Binns. Draco was pleased to sit with Sirius again, though he couldn't help but glance over at Snape a couple of times, who looked just as pained now as he had that morning. That Lily girl was completely immune to the fact that Snape had been watching her literally all day. She was too busy listening to Remus complaining about Claybrook to notice.

"So, what did _you_ think of Claybrook?" said Sirius, after watching Remus for several minutes and shaking his head.

"Dunno," said Draco, shrugging. "I know it was just the one lesson but he seemed a bit off."

"Right?" said Sirius, whose eyes brightened at the suggestion that Draco thought the same thing he did. "Quite frankly, I'm a bit worried about the competition we'll have with the girls now."

"What happened to Ellen what's-her-face?" said Draco, with a cocky sort of smile.

Sirius grinned at him and then turned his notebook to a blank page so that he could pretend copying whatever Binns now began rambling about. All throughout the lesson, Draco and Sirius passed a notebook back and forth, discussing everything they thought about Claybrook. But at about half past 4, Binns put down his book and looked up at the class unexpectedly. They all stared at him.

"Professor Dumbledore has brought to my attention that I need to quiz some of you, given that this is a NEWT level course and all," he said, in the same dull, monotonous voice he always used. "As much as I hate doing this, and would rather stick to my own teaching methods, thanks, I'm afraid I must oblige." The students blinked at him. "So, let's have a little quiz and see how much you know, before we can continue on." He moved forwards and cleared his throat. "Who here can tell me in what year the Soap Blizzard, which was followed by a burst of the wizarding economic bubble, took place?"

As predicted, Lily Evans' and Remus' arms flew into the air at once, and they looked sideways at each other and giggled. Sirius shook his head.

"Yes, you?" said Binns, pointing at Lily.

"1378," she said, proudly and confidently.

Binns nodded.

"A-and the Gargoyle Strike?"

"1911," said Remus, before Lily could put her hand up.

She giggled. Draco looked round at Snape who looked extremely haunted now, and perhaps on the verge of tears too. Draco sighed. Well, if he had the option to get in on this—given he already knew about this stuff—then, why not have a go?

"What about the International Warlock Convention?"

Draco's hand shot up into the air, startling Sirius in the process.

"Yeah, you there with the blond hair?" said Binns.

"It's Draco Black, sir."

"Yes, yes."

"Um, it took place in 1289," said Draco.

"Very good," said Binns.

Lily and Remus both turned around in their seats and smiled at him.

"Now who can tell me how Emeric the Evil died?"

"I can, professor!" cried Lily, her hand in the air again.

"Go ahead," said Binns, dully.

"He is said to have been slaughtered in a ferocious duel against Egbert the Egregious."

"Good. And what was Uric the Oddball most famous for?"

"He always wore a jellyfish as a hat," Draco blurted out. Lily looked round at him in shock. "And he was said to sleep in a room with fifty pet Augureys."

"Good, good. Take five points to Gryffindor, Mr. Blake."

"It's Black, sir," said Draco.

"Yes, yes," said Binns.

"Professor!" cried Lily, who shot her hand up into the air again. "I can tell you which Hogwarts House Uric the Oddball belonged to, sir—it was Ravenclaw, sir."

"Um yes, very good girly. You can take 5 points as well."

Lily grinned and turned to look at Draco again, who did not meet her eyes but continued to stare up at the professor. This was war.

"And just before we continue with the lesson, a quick summary from one of you, about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct?"

"I'll do it," Draco declared, before Lily's arm could even move. She scoffed somewhat loudly and folded her arms across her chest. Grinning slightly, Draco scanned his memory for the bit of information he'd gathered on the topic, back in his third year when he'd had his suspicions about Professor Lupin.

"It's basically a set of rules that outline the responsibilities that werewolves have, one of which is preventing any possible attacks by locking themselves up securely every month at the full moon. But, and it's very unsurprising to many, this conduct has ultimately failed, seeing as no one showed up to sign it since no one was prepared to walk into the ministry and admit to being a werewolf, which has always been a great stigma among wizarding society…"

Draco's voice trailed faintly as he glanced at Remus, who suddenly looked very small in his chair (or was rather trying to make himself look small by sinking into it slightly).

"Very good, Mr. Blake," said Binns. "Another five points for Gryffindor. Alright, I think that'll do for Dumbledore's satisfaction. Let us continue with our lesson…"

The lesson droned on, causing several students to doze off to sleep on their desk. Binns of course failed to notice this and spoke as if only to himself. Lily and Remus both copied down his every word, meanwhile Draco and Sirius resumed their little chat.

 _Who is Regulus?_

Draco passed the sheet and watched Sirius frown at it. He gave him a pointed look before writing,

 _My brother. Why do you ask?_

 _I heard you talking about him before. He's in Slytherin, right?_

 _Yes._

Draco hesitated.

 _How did that happen? Him being in Slytherin and you being in Gryffindor?_

This time, Sirius hesitated. He looked very uncomfortable with this subject of conversation, but nevertheless picked up his quill and scribbled,

 _Everyone in my family…well, I guess in_ OUR _family, has been in Slytherin. Every single person._

Draco's eyes widened when he read this.

 _Whoa, I didn't know that,_ he wrote, quite truthfully.

 _Yeah, so I suppose you and I are the oddballs of the Black family, aren't we?_

Draco chuckled and nodded his head at Sirius, who smiled weakly. Draco's heart rate returned to normal. Hopefully, he'd broken the ice just enough to loosen up the suspicions that Sirius might've had about him, so that when whoever turned up soon to analyse Draco, perhaps Sirius would come to his defense. This time—and just this once—asking the question directly seemed like a suitable solution. Who would've known?

When it was finally time for dinner, Draco filled his plate to the fullest as he realised just how hungry he was. He let the boys do the talking tonight and just listened to them as he ate silently. Potter was complaining about the homework that he had to do that night and Sirius was trying to convince Remus to let him copy his History of Magic notes. Wormtail meanwhile was eating quietly, with a book propped open against his juice goblet.

Draco nodded whenever Potter said something and laughed whenever Sirius joked about something. He said "mhm" or "right" whenever Remus pointed out something and rolled his eyes with the rest whenever Wormtail asked something. But when the boys were paying no attention to him, his eyes fell on the haunted-looking boy sitting over at the Slytherin table. He wasn't talking to anyone else, even though the students around him seemed to be in the middle of a lively conversation. Snape simply sat by himself, staring intently at his plate with his hands holding his head for support. He'd been like that all day, the poor kid. Of course, it all made sense. This was why he later became very mean and arrogant. This was why he ended up joining the dark side in the first place. With a life like his, who wouldn't resort to a life of crime?

Draco was just about to stand up and walk over to Snape—he couldn't stand the sight of him looking so pained like this—when his eyes met a pair of black ones that seemed to be glaring at him from the Slytherin table. The boy looked very much like Sirius, and his arms were folded on the table as he watched him. Regulus Black. Draco looked away quickly and took a few more bites of his steak, praying desperately that he didn't look suspicious in any way. His future currently relied on what Regulus and Sirius would report back to their parents. And yet, that thought was not disturbing to Draco at all. In fact, he had no bad feelings about this and instead was sure that Dumbledore was right in saying it was all going to work out perfectly. He would never admit this to Dumbledore, of course. He was not _stupid_.

After dinner, the boys led Draco over to the top stairs in the Entrance Hall, where they sat down and looked down at the students gathering there. Many students from many different houses moved into the Entrance Hall and began talking loudly to each other. Potter took a golden snitch from out of his robes and began twirling it in his palm. Wormtail watched him excitedly and Sirius struck up a conversation with a pretty girl in Hufflepuff. Remus got his copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ out of his bag and propped it open against his raised knees. Draco was left to stare at the students talking to each other. So this was what they did every day after dinner—a hangout session in the Entrance Hall. Wicked. This was definitely not something that persisted later when Draco would attend Hogwarts in his own timeline.

The doors to the Great Hall opened and out came several Slytherin students, among them being Snape and Regulus. They walked past the chattering students in the Entrance Hall without a glance at them and headed straight for the dungeons. Draco suppressed the sudden urge to follow them and yell that he was one of their own. It would be too disastrous if he did that now. He would just have to wait to talk to Snape on his own time—away from the Gryffindor lot.

"Draco, did you hear me?" said Potter, nudging his shoulder again.

"Huh?" said Draco, turning his head away from where Snape and the other Slytherins had disappeared into the dungeons.

"I said, let's go upstairs," said Potter, jumping to his feet.

Despite the fact that he was now growing very irritated with the way Potter bossed them all around, Draco followed. He was too tired to argue tonight anyway.

The boys themselves looked very worn-out as they settled by the fireplace and got their books out. Draco looked at his homework and sighed. He knew he could do it in a matter of seconds, because all of the information was crazily repetitive for him. But did he want to come off as a know-it-all to his new "friends" or whatever they were? He sighed and pulled his quill out, deliberately writing his notes as slowly as possible. It was so irritating to have to do this, but he only kept it up until Remus closed his books and announced that he was done and off to bed. Draco "finished" shortly after him and followed. It wasn't long before Potter, Sirius and Wormtail turned up in the dormitory, and by then, Remus was already asleep.

Draco tried hard to fall asleep. He really did. He was tired from the day's exhaustive events. But still, after he heard Wormtail's faint snores ensue and saw Sirius toss in his bed and Potter sigh faintly, he realised that he could not sleep. There was still one more thing he had to do before the day could end. Checking that the boys were very asleep, he slowly crept out of bed and pulled on a dressing gown and then his cloak. He grabbed his wand from his bedside, lit it faintly, and tiptoed his way out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the common room into the dark and empty corridor.

"Draco," said Dumbledore, whose face glowed under the candlelight by the window once Draco turned up in his office a few minutes later. "What a pleasant surprise."

"S-sorry to just stop by like this, professor," said Draco, closing the door behind him. It was definitely well past midnight and he was surprised to find that Dumbledore was wide awake and still in his formal robes. He was standing next to the window and petting his pet bird—a blazing red phoenix—which was sitting on his shoulder.

"That's alright, Draco, you are more than welcome to stop by at any time," said Dumbledore, politely. "Won't you sit down?"

"Um," said Draco, looking sideways at Dumbledore's desk. "N-no that's alright. I'll only be a moment."

"Very well then," said Dumbledore, folding his arms in front of him and frowning at Draco. "What can I do for you?"

"Uh," said Draco, wondering how to say it. He looked up at the office walls and was surprised to find that all—each and every one—of the portraits were wide awake and eyeing him curiously so as not to miss any part of the conversation. Did they not know what time it was? "W-well…" Draco's eyes were still on the various portraits. "I um…thought a lot about what you said…about what you asked me."

"I see," said Dumbledore, taking a few steps forward. "And?"

Draco's eyes fell on his clear blue ones. There was something very familiar about his smile now—something that Draco hadn't seen in a long, long time. In fact, he wasn't sure that Dumbledore had ever smiled at him before, back in his real life. He probably smiled a lot at _Potter_ , but never at him, which was a shame because it was one of those everything-is-going-to-be-alright smiles, and Draco found that he really needed one. He took a deep and nervous breath, closed his eyes, took another breath, and then opened them again.

"I'm staying," he said, in a surprisingly not-shaking tone.

* * *

 **Did you like? did you hate? send a review so we know!**


	4. Smiles and Tears

**Author's Note:** **Hey readers! We're very excited about this chapter because it marks TWO of many climactic moments that we look forward to in this story. Please let us know what you think so far :)**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 4: SMILES AND TEARS

'Okay'. Dumbledore had said 'okay'. Draco had come to tell him that he was staying, and Dumbledore had simply said 'okay'. What on earth was he playing at? Draco had half expected him to object or lay down the rules or remind Draco of the seriousness of what it was that he was agreeing to do. But no. His one and only answer had been the exhaustively irritating word 'okay'. How brilliant.

And even when Draco told him about how he would need to start giving him some kind of private lessons from then on, Dumbledore had simply smiled and nodded, as though he had been expecting it. Was he watching him or something? There was no way that he could've known Draco would say this to him. The only person that knew was James Potter, and as far as Draco was aware, Potter was not catching up with Dumbledore over lunch. This was so typical of Dumbledore, to know something before he was actually told it.

But he had been very graceful about these 'lessons' that they would begin. He had told Draco that he was to report to his office at 8 o'clock every Saturday night for an hour, starting this upcoming weekend. He had even given Draco homework to do in the meantime—that homework being titled _Hogwarts: A History._

"It's important that you know as much about the castle as possible, seeing as how people are meant to believe that I raised you," he'd explained.

Draco wasn't yet sure if he was looking forward to these lessons or not. Though, it'd at least be time away from the boys which would give him the chance to release his thoughts about his double life, so that was definitely something he wouldn't mind.

But he wondered whether Dumbledore was right in insisting that he tell him nothing. Was it really truly that dangerous to tell him about the future? What about divination? Didn't this sort of defeat the whole purpose of the stupid subject? Wasn't he—?

"Oy, Draco!"

Draco jumped.

"I called you five times!" said Potter.

"S-sorry," he mumbled, awkwardly. "Must've dozed off."

"Daydreaming is what you were," said Potter, with a smirk on his face.

Draco faked a smile and returned to his book.

It was Wednesday morning. Draco, Sirius and Potter had a free period while Remus was off in Arithmancy and Wormtail in Herbology. So, the three had decided to sleep in, since Potter had guaranteed he'd be able to get breakfast to them afterwards. Sure enough, once they'd woken to an empty common room, Potter disappeared for a short while and returned with a bundle of food that he claimed he'd nicked from the kitchens. They enjoyed their breakfast in the common room, and then Potter and Sirius began a game of Wizard's Chess while Draco caught up on some homework reading.

"So," said Potter, "Now that I have your attention again, tell me: what Quidditch positions do you like best?"

Draco looked up from his book, startled.

"Um," he said, watching one of Sirius' knights attack Potter's pawn. "I dunno…s-seeker's good."

"Seeker's _brilliant_ ," said Potter, grinning. "Too bad that position is already filled, by yours truly. Any others?"

"Uh keeper I suppose," said Draco, looking back down at his book again.

"Excellent thinking," said Sirius. "He's going after our positions, Jamesy!"

Potter laughed.

"I…" said Draco.

"Okay, so we'll see how he flies but we'll most likely put him up for beater," said Potter, turning to Sirius.

"But—"

"Hold on, won't Frank be a little opposed to that?" said Sirius. "You promised him he'd have a say in who else is beater."

"I know I did and I plan on running it by him but I don't see any reason why he would object to at least seeing the kid at trials."

"Oh no, that's okay," said Draco, quickly.

The boys turned their heads to him.

"I-I'm not interested in trials," said Draco.

There was silence. And then…

"Yeah, right!" laughed Sirius, turning his head back to Potter. "Okay so which positions are we seriously in trouble for? I mean, _seriously_?"

"Well…" said Potter, thoughtfully. "I could see a couple of potential chasers because the team sure could use a change."

Sirius nodded.

"We have to have the very best on the team this year," Potter declared after a moment's silence. "Otherwise, no one will ever let me forget that it was _my_ captaincy that brought Gryffindor out of first place for the Quidditch cup."

"Forget no one, _I_ will never let you forget it," said Sirius.

Potter raised an eyebrow at him, and then attacked his knight with one of his own. Sirius barked a laugh and killed the knight instantly with his queen, resulting in a perfect checkmate.

Soon, the boys were collecting their books and heading out the portrait hole to Charms with Professor Flitwick. As they turned the corridor, Draco felt something swoosh right through him. He started.

"Hello, Nick!" said Sirius, brightly, waving at someone from behind.

Draco spun around and saw the tall ghost twirl on the spot to meet Sirius with a bright smile.

"Hello!" he exclaimed. "Have a nice summer, boys?"

"Swell," said Potter. "Where are you headed?"

"The tower," said Nearly Headless Nick. "Peeves is making a scene down in the Great Hall again and I've seen enough of him for one day, I think."

"Sounds about right," Sirius told Potter.

They waved the ghost away and then proceeded to Charms. Draco followed them silently. When they finally entered the classroom, they found that two Gryffindors were already there—Remus and Lily.

"Hello," said Potter, looking obviously displeased by this.

"Hey James," said Remus, brightly. "Have a good morning?"

"I kicked his ass at chess," Sirius said as he zoomed on by Remus' desk and moved his way to an empty pair just to their left.

Draco followed him.

"H-he didn't!" Potter said, his eyes on Lily (who was completely oblivious). "I'd say it was a fair beating."

"Oh, very good then," said Remus, who thought he was talking to him.

Potter remained standing in front of him for a few more seconds before Wormtail came into the classroom and tapped him on the shoulder, making him jump. Potter looked back at Lily again and then said, "Come on, Wormtail." The two of them sat at the desks just behind Sirius and Draco, who were already getting their books out. Soon, the rest of their classmates filed into the room, including one Draco had looked forward to seeing today. Snape came into the classroom with his head bowed and automatically made for one of the tables at the back. Lily, Draco noticed, did not so much as turn her head upon Snape's entrance. Draco frowned.

"Morning, my children!" squeaked little Professor Flitwick, who levitated himself to stand atop a tall pile of books at the front desk. "Today, we will be working independently on charming these flasks, which are filled with vinegar, into wine."

Draco smirked. He had done this in Flitwick's NEWT class before. It was going to be almost too easy.

"So, take these and pass them down," said Flitwick, handing a box full of glass flasks to a Hufflepuff girl at the front, who took one and passed the box down the row of students.

After ten minutes of attempting this experiment, Sirius had managed to turn the murky brown contents of his flask into a solid green. Draco smirked and shook his head.

" _No one_ is doing it properly!" Sirius hissed at him defensively. "Look!"

Draco looked around. He was right. Many of the students were struggling with this simple task. Lily Evans was of course an exception to this, and Flitwick had made a point of noticing.

"Well done, Ms. Evans!" he exclaimed. "That'll be ten points to Gryffindor, I think!"

"Thanks, professor!" she said, beaming up at him.

Beside her, Remus' flask was slowly turning into a cherry-like colour, which to Draco seemed perfectly acceptable. He took his own wand in his hand, waved it lazily at the flask in front of him, and produced a vile full of deep crimson liquid. Sirius gasped.

"Okay, how the hell did you just do that?!" he cried, causing Flitwick to turn his head towards the boys.

"Boys, are we working hard over here?—oh…well, my oh my, that flask looks _perfect!_ " Flitwick looked from Sirius to Draco and then back. "Who made it?"

"I did, professor," said Draco, raising his hand proudly.

Flitwick beamed at him.

"Very well done, my boy! And on your first try too! That'll be fifteen points for Gryffindor!"

Draco swore he saw Lily turn her head to look at him over Remus' shoulder, but he did not glance in her direction to check, because Sirius had punched him hard on the shoulder and was now violently hissing "HELP ME!" into his ear. So, Draco spent the rest of the hour teaching Sirius the proper wand movement to achieve an acceptable end result.

When the rest of the students had transformed the contents of their flasks into other substances, Flitwick collected their results and stored them away before returning to the front of the room.

"Let us move on now," he announced. "Seeing as how you are all NEWT level students now, it is perfectly acceptable for more to be expected of you, as young witches and wizards. In fact, more is expected of you, an example of which being your ability to perform nonverbal spells. That's right, sixth years should be able to, and are in fact _required_ to, use nonverbal spells henceforth. You will find that Professors McGonagall and Claybrook will be making similar announcements in the near future." He paused to scratch his nose before continuing. "Anyone here want to give me a quick fact about the effectiveness of using nonverbal spells?"

Draco's arm shot up into the air precisely a second after Lily Evans' had. Remus had also raised his hand but rather slowly as he frowned at the two. Flitwick looked conflicted.

"W-why don't we let the new student have a go?" he said, smiling courteously first at Lily and then Remus, before turning brightly to Draco. "Go ahead, Mr. Black."

Draco scanned his memory for that first NEWT defense lesson with Snape. He had asked the same question and Granger had been the one who'd answered it. What did she say again?

"W-well, some spells are just naturally easier to perform nonverbally than others," he began. Lily's hand shot up into the air again, so Draco hastily added, "But also when you use a nonverbal spell, your opponent has no idea what spell you're thinking of, so I suppose you have a slight advantage over them, don't you?"

"Excellent!" squeaked little Flitwick. "Very good, indeed." Lily's hand slowly went back down. "Yes, it is absolutely true, which is why here at Hogwarts, it is _essential_ that you learn how to perform nonverbal spells. So, we shall now partner up and practice on each other, yes? Uh safe spells only, please. I really don't want to levitate any more students to the hospital wing. I've already had enough accidents with the second years this morning."

A few students chuckled as they rose from their seats and moved the desks aside to make room.

"Mr. Black!" Flitwick called. Draco and Sirius both turned to look at him. "Uh, I meant _Sirius_ Black…you are not to partner up with Mr. Potter."

"But sir!" cried Sirius, but Flitwick raised a hand to silence him. "Absolutely not!—not after what happened the last time you two partnered up. I won't accept it! Here, why don't _you_ go with Mr. Potter, Draco? And Sirius, you can partner up with Ms. Evans."

"S-sir?" said Lily, slowly raising her hand. "I've already partnered up with Remus for this project."

"Oh," said Flitwick, frowning for a moment. "Oh well that's alright, Ms. Evans. Mr. Lupin could partner up with Mr. Pettigrew!" He then lowered his voice. "I think Mr. Black could use a little bit of your good influence."

Lily turned to look at Sirius who grinned at her. She nodded at the professor and moved to their side of the classroom, while Draco moved to where Potter was standing.

"What's the matter, Evans? Disappointed?" Draco heard Sirius say. He smirked and went to join Potter.

"Alright, so what's the deal, we have to just stun each other?" Potter asked him.

"Without talking, yeah," Draco answered.

Potter dropped his hands to his sides.

"Okay," he said, sighing. "Go ahead."

Draco did a sort of double-take and then looked up at the professor, who was watching various partners attempting to stun each other without saying the incantations out loud. Draco looked back at Potter, startled.

"Y-you sure?" he said, slowly raising his wand.

It had come as a bit of a shock to him that Potter was so willing to let him openly stun him.

"Yeah," said Potter, shrugging.

What nerve!

Draco raised his eyebrows, and then smiled as a certain spell crossed his mind. One of his biggest lifetime ambitions was now about to be fulfilled—to stun a Potter without getting into trouble. Opportunities like this did not come every day.

 _Impedimenta_ , he thought. The familiar turquoise light erupted from Draco's wand before Potter could even react, and he was immediately levitated into the air and turned upside-down. Draco let him hover for a moment before he set him right-side up again.

"Whoa," Potter breathed, looking around him. Some of the students surrounding them had noticed and were now gaping at Draco. Flitwick however, was on the other side of the classroom, and concentrated hard on trying to untangle Wormtail's feet, which were tired together from Remus' jinx.

"Yeah," said Draco, grinning at Potter.

"How did you do that so fast?!" said Potter. "That was amazing!"

Draco shrugged but couldn't suppress that satisfied smile that crossed his face now.

"Do it again!" Potter demanded, rather enthusiastically. "Come on, I think we could score at least thirty house points now. Go on!"

Draco hesitated for a moment, then shrugged and repeated the jinx on Potter, who went into the air laughing this time. Everyone in the class was watching now—including Professor Flitwick, who began to applaud rapidly as Draco set Potter back down to his feet.

"Marvelous!" he squeaked. "That'll be thirty points for Gryffindor house! Did you see, everybody, how he smoothly and delicately waved his wand and kept his lips sealed all the while? Now _that_ is the level I expect from all of you! Come now, off you go!"

Potter turned to Draco and winked. Draco stared at him. It was _unbelievable_. He had taken that jinx so gracefully and willingly. He had such nerve—such _courage_ , that Draco found himself completely speechless. James Potter was not at all what he'd expected.

"No, no, no, Mr. Pettigrew!" the boys heard Flitwick say. They turned around just in time to see Flitwick jumping off of the stack of books and walking over to where Remus and Wormtail stood. "You can't cheat your way through this—your lips must be sealed together completely."

"I could help him with that, professor," said a voice from the back of the classroom. Draco and Potter spun around together to find a tall Slytherin boy smirking. Draco frowned at him—he did not recognise him at all.

"That's okay, Mr. Mulciber," said Flitwick, who looked to be slightly annoyed with the boy.

Draco gasped. Mulciber— _Mulciber!_ He was here, at Hogwarts, with him! This was not at all good. Draco's breath hitched slightly as he eyed the teenaged Mulciber who shrugged and returned to his partner at the end of the classroom…Severus Snape.

"Here, why don't you watch Ms. Evans do it?" Flitwick suggested to Wormtail.

Potter nudged Draco to watch with him. Lily Evans pointed her wand at Sirius and within seconds, he was tap dancing across the classroom, to the tune of his classmates' howls of laughter. Draco couldn't help but smirk at the sight of Sirius hopping by him, but he soon grew bored with watching and turned his head back to Mulciber, who was standing at the back of the class with Snape and two other boys, all of them with their hands in their pockets. Draco narrowed his eyes at the two other boys, but wasn't able to recognise them. He was sure he knew the adult versions of them all. They had been so kind as to attend his Death Eater initiation ceremony, which now seemed so long ago, as though it had taken place in another lifetime completely.

"Very good, Ms. Evans!" cried Professor Flitwick, and Lily beamed as her classmates applauded her. "You can take ten points for your house!"

Lily's smile faltered slightly, but she remained grateful all the same. Sirius on the other hand, looked redder than the reddest tomato in existence.

"Who's Mulciber?" Draco asked Remus as they parted from the others at the end of Charms and walked to Astronomy together with Wormtail.

"Jeriece Mulciber," said Remus, matter-of-factly, "He's a Slytherin in our year…likes to spend a lot of time with Severus Snape, Evan Rosier, and Atticus Avery."

Draco fought hard to control his facial features. He'd never met Rosier because he'd died back when the war ended—when Draco had only been just a baby. But he _did_ briefly overhear his parents discussing some Avery character, though he'd never met him as well.

"W-what's he like?" Draco asked.

"Wicked," said Remus, turning the corner, "And in the worst way possible."

"H-how do you mean?"

"Last year, he tried to perform some kind of dark magic on Mary Macdonald," Remus explained. "She's a Gryffindor in our year. Word spread around the whole school but there was not enough evidence to expel him, so he just had detention for about two weeks I think."

"What kind of dark magic was it?" Draco asked, all the while trying to keep his tone casual.

"Dark," said Remus, simply.

They walked in silence after that. Draco tried to put his mind off of Mulciber, so that Remus wouldn't suspect him being much too interested in the topic. As they walked, Draco searched his mind quickly for a change of topic—something that would interest Remus.

"So you're gonna tell me why you like Astronomy so much then?" he blurted out, before he could even stop himself.

"What?" said Remus.

He was obviously pretending not to have heard Draco, but Draco knew that he'd heard him exactly.

"I said, do you want to tell me why you like Astronomy so much?" Draco repeated. "I mean _the truth_."

"It's a fascinating subject and I like learning about the stars and planets," said Remus, simply.

"And the moon?" said Draco.

He regretted it almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Remus seemed to have tensed at the word and did not respond.

"Remus loves the moon!" Wormtail exclaimed, making Draco jump. He'd forgotten that he was walking alongside him as well.

"The moon's divine," Draco muttered, turning away from Wormtail and continuing to follow Remus. "So would you say you know a lot about the moon, then?"

"Uh, yeah I guess," said Remus. "We have a midnight lesson today too, right?"

"Yep," said Wormtail.

They crossed the Entrance Hall and headed for a flight of stairs leading to the north tower.

"So you know all the shapes or stages of the moon or whatever?" Draco pressed.

Remus glanced worriedly up at him.

"Why are you asking me this?" he asked.

Draco stopped walking with him and screwed up a sort of innocent-like face.

"Hey man, I'm just curious," he said, shrugging casually. "I can't tell you how many times I've confused waxing crescent with waning crescent, back in that muggle school they made me do in the orphanage."

"R-Remus knows all about the moon!" said Wormtail. "It's fascinating to him. In fact, he even—"

"Oy!" exclaimed Remus, his eyes glaring viciously at the boy. "You want to shut up maybe, Peter?!"

The silence that followed was indeed one of the most awkward Draco had ever endured in his life. Wormtail looked as though he'd just been slapped across his ugly face. But Remus did not look at all apologetic for his angry outburst. In fact, he looked as though he might have another one any second. In an attempt to neutralise the situation, Draco ushered them into the classroom for their Astronomy theory lesson.

It was a very brutal two hours. Draco spent the entire lesson half-copying the notes that Professor Sinistra was reciting and half-watching Remus attempting to cool off. He looked extremely agitated—like Draco had never seen before—and taken aback by the little information that Wormtail had revealed. At the end of the lesson, Remus practically flew from out of his desk and shoved past the students and out the door. Draco stood staring after him, then slowly collected his books and left as well, with Wormtail at his feet.

"D'you reckon he's mad at me?" he asked, in a shaking voice, as they walked.

"Yep," said Draco.

"Do…do you think he'll forgive me by dinnertime?"

"Nope."

"Oh."

Draco and Wormtail came into the Great Hall for lunch to find that none of the others were seated there. It made perfect sense, of course. Potter and Sirius had a free period during astronomy so they'd probably eaten already. And Remus was undoubtedly not in the mood for food. So Draco grudgingly and unwillingly sat across from Wormtail and busied himself with filling his plate. A few times, Wormtail attempted small talk, but Draco remained as uninterested as ever, so after a while Wormtail seemed to take the hint and pulled out a book to read. Draco finished his food as quickly as he could and excused himself. He would check the common room before the Potions lesson.

Luckily, Draco was now an expert at finding the Gryffindor common room and getting back to the Entrance Hall…and it had only taken him a few days. However, his feeling of accomplishment soon vanished when he climbed through the portrait hole and found that Remus was not in the common room or in their dormitory. And later, when Draco walked into Potions, he saw that Remus was not there either. He seated himself at the table where Sirius and the others were, and they all put their heads together at once.

"Where's Moony?" Potter demanded.

"I dunno," said Draco.

It was the truth, anyway. He didn't bother telling them about what had gone down with Remus and Wormtail. The times for sabotage and getting the boys to see Wormtail for who he really was, would come later. He was sure of it.

The Potions lesson was rather dull that day, and ended in Slughorn's exciting announcement about an essay assignment on Golpalott's Third Law. After the lesson, the boys decided to go back to the common room and crash for a few hours before dinner, but Draco decided to ditch them and get some books for the essay. If he was going to have to write an essay he'd never written before, he'd need to get a head start on it, to ensure that it was an outstanding paper. And so, with _Advanced Potion Making_ tucked under his arm, he said goodbye to the boys and retreated upstairs to the library.

He didn't know what to look for when he got there, and ended up bothering Madame Pince—who was equally as strict as when he'd known her, though visibly younger—with finding the books he would find useful for this assignment. However, it seemed that someone else had had the exact same thought as Draco when the Potions lesson had ended, for as he accepted the pile of books that Madame Pince gave him and moved to one of the aisles in the back to look through them, he came to a halt. Severus Snape was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with his copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ in his lap, and his head bowed.

* * *

The sight of Snape sitting there had caused Draco to drop some of the books. They fell with a bang and startled many students who were sitting in their little corners, studying. Snape looked up from his lap, also startled. Draco glanced over his shoulder to where Madame Pince sat at her desk, glaring at him for making the noise. He turned back around and bent down to pick up the books, only to find that someone had already beaten him to it.

Snape stood back up and held out the three books that Draco had dropped. He was not smiling. In fact, his long black hair was covering most of his face and his eyes were barely visible. But Draco accepted the books from him silently and watched him take his seat on the carpet by the window once again. For a moment, he stood there, the heavy books still in his arms, wondering—wondering what to do. But then he looked around and realised that none of the boys were with him now. This was his chance.

He took the few steps to where Snape sat and set the books on the desk beside him. He then knelt down and crossed his legs next to the boy. Snape looked up from his book but said nothing. Draco glanced at it and noticed that Snape had been in the middle of writing something on the inside of the book. He clenched it tighter to him, as though trying to shield it from Draco's range of vision. Draco smirked. He'd forgotten that he would be here witnessing Snape actually _creating_ the product that he used to talk to Draco about so much. If only Draco hadn't been too set on killing Dumbledore at the time and actually listened to what Snape was saying…

"It's awfully brave of you to be doing that in here," Draco told him now, his eyes gesturing at the Half-Blood Prince's book. "Pince will murder you cold-bloodedly if she sees."

Snape gaped at him and then shut the book up and held it closer to him, his black eyes still lingering over Draco's blue ones.

"I take it you're also here because of that essay we have to do," said Draco. When Snape did not answer, he went on, "I mean, I know it's the law for making antidotes, which sounds simple enough. But apparently it has all this stuff to do with alchemy, which is more Dumbledore's territory, so here I am, doing research…"

Snape remained as silent as a fish, his eyes fixed almost permanently on Draco. There was a moment of silence.

"I've heard some bloke say that you're Snape," Draco tried. "Severus Snape, right?" Silence. "I'm—"

"I know who you are," said Snape, in a very low voice.

Draco, feeling sidetracked, forced himself to nod.

"I suppose everyone does," he muttered. "When you're the only sixth-year in existence to receive the sorting with a bunch of first-year munchkins, you can't really expect people not to notice you."

"No," said Snape, looking back down at his closed book, "You can't."

More silence.

"I suppose your family hates you now too, don't they?" said Snape after a few minutes. Draco frowned at him. "With your sorting, I mean," he clarified.

"I don't have a family," Draco said, in a kind of whisper.

"Aren't you a _Black_?" said Snape, raising an eyebrow at him.

And so Draco recited his cover story to Snape in exactly the same way that he'd done with Sirius, Remus, Potter and Wormtail. Snape listened without interrupting and nodded his head occasionally.

"So I take it you haven't yet met your alleged relative from Slytherin, Regulus?" he said, after Draco had finished.

"Not yet," said Draco. He pulled a book from the pile that Madame Pince had provided him with and opened it.

"He's been talking about you a lot," said Snape.

Draco looked up at him.

"Has he?" he said, in the calmest voice he could muster.

Inside him however, a war had erupted. Over the last day or so, he'd managed not to think about the problems he would soon have with the Blacks, once they investigated him thoroughly.

"Yes," said Snape, simply. "He has."

He glanced around them and then opened his book again and proceeded with what he'd been writing in it before Draco had joined him. Draco watched him for a few seconds, and then continued flipping the pages of _Potion-Making in the 20th Century_.

"So if you've grown up with Dumbledore at your side," said Snape, suddenly, "Then you probably know all about alchemy and could write this essay easily."

"I don't," Draco muttered into his book. "He raised me, yes, but that doesn't mean that his brain is now mine."

Snape chuckled under his breath and dipped his quill in some more ink.

"A true antidote to a blended poison is more than the sum of its parts," he said, after a while. "That's where your alchemy plays in."

"Sorry?"

"Read page 72," said Snape, gesturing at the book in his lap. Draco dug into his bag for his own copy and flipped to page 72.

 _The best known goals of the alchemists were the transmutation of common metals into Gold or Silver and the creation of a "panacea", a remedy that supposedly would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely, and the discovery of a universal solvent. Although these were not the only uses for the science, they were the ones most documented and well known. Starting with the Middle Ages, European alchemists invested much effort on the search for the philosopher's stone, a legendary substance that was believed to be an essential ingredient for either or both of those goals._

Draco felt his heart skip a beat and closed the book without reading the rest. The words "philosopher's stone" seemed to be bleeding out of the pages and he couldn't stare at them any longer. He took a deep breath and then glanced at the book in Snape's lap again.

"So what are you writing in there now?" he asked.

"Things," Snape answered, without looking at him.

Draco squinted at the tiny words that Snape was scribbling along the margins of some random page. He read the upside-down heading.

 ** _Poison Antidote_**

He watched Snape write the word "bezoar" on the margin and then cross out a bunch of instructions printed in the book. Snape finally noticed Draco watching him and quickly shut the book again and looked up at him expectedly.

"See you later then," said Draco, understanding it as his cue to go. He got up and picked up all the books that Madame Pince had piled for him. He did not wait for Snape to answer, knowing that it was foolish to wait, and left the library at once. Though, even with his back turned, he could feel Snape's eyes boring into it.

He piled all his books on the bedside table up in the dormitory and then joined the boys in the common room by the fire. Remus had still not shown up, and Potter looked mighty worried at this point.

"It's not like him to disappear like this," he kept repeating over the course of the evening.

"But he used to do this all the time when we were in first year, second year, third year…" Sirius offered, when they were on their way to the Great Hall for dinner an hour later.

"He had reasons, Sirius," said Potter, in a quiet tone, as the boys took their seats at the Gryffindor table.

Draco glanced over at the Slytherin table on the other end of the hall and found Snape _and_ Regulus watching him intently. He looked away from them quickly and poured himself a drink.

The boys decided to skip the usual after dinner hangout in the Entrance Hall that night to go and look for Remus. But their time was wasted because he was simply nowhere to be found. If Draco hadn't been forced to read _Hogwarts: A History_ by Dumbledore, he would have sworn that Remus had apparated somewhere out of the school grounds. But now knowing that it was impossible, he agreed with the boys that Remus would turn up eventually, and followed them back to the common room to get started on homework.

The boys found Draco's library books to be extremely useful for that essay that Slughorn had assigned, and Draco didn't really mind sharing them. He was thinking about his meeting with Snape, and how smoothly it had gone. It had been surprisingly easy to talk to him. He never once had to worry about his cover story or anything like that. Talking to Snape in the library had been the closest that Draco had so far gotten to his old life. It was like talking to adult Snape all over again. It felt like he was back at home.

Sick to his stomach, he stretched out on the couch and rested his head on its shoulder. It had been a long day—too long of a day. And tomorrow would perhaps be even longer, what with his first-ever Muggle Studies lesson, which he was seriously dreading. The last thing he wanted to do was sit with a bunch of muggle-lovers and learn about how miserable muggles' lives were. He had way more important things to worry about, like the Black family investigations that had probably already started, depending on how fast Regulus had managed to contact his parents.

Draco suddenly jumped up.

"What is it?" said Potter, looking utterly startled.

"Nothing," lied Draco.

He got to his feet and raced out of the portrait hole, ignoring Potter's yells after him. He dashed through the corridor and down the steps of the tower until he reached one of the main halls. He made a left turn, then a right, and then climbed several flights of stairs until he reached the seventh floor corridor on the left side of the castle. The familiar tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and the trolls was standing there. Draco moved towards it and leaned against it, waiting.

About twenty minutes later, the door materialised on the wall opposite the tapestry, and a lock clicked. Someone came out of the hidden room and the door vanished again.

"Hey there," said Draco, frightening Remus almost half to death.

"What are you doing here?!" he cried, after he'd gotten over his shock.

"Looking for you, of course," said Draco.

"But," said Remus, looking around the deserted corridor several times, "But how did you know—?"

"Oh, I've read _Hogwarts: A History_ loads of times, thanks to Dumbledore," said Draco, dismissively.

Remus narrowed his eyes at him.

"Come on, let's go back to the common room," said Draco, turning to lead the way out. "The Astronomy lesson will start in just a few hours."

"I'm not really up to attending tonight," said Remus.

"You're going to get a detention if you keep this up," Draco warned.

He wasn't sure why he cared at all, but it seemed somehow important—and almost instinctive—to shield Remus.

"I have circumstances that Professor Sinistra will understand," he said.

Draco shook his head. Remus was mad at Wormtail for almost blabbing about his secret when he himself was being so stupidly open about it! How hypocritical…

"Your mates are wondering where you are," Draco informed him as they walked, "Especially Wormtail. He thinks—"

"That I'm mad at him, yes I know," said Remus, tiredly. "I'll talk to him myself."

Draco nodded.

When they returned to the common room, Sirius and Potter got to their feet at once. Remus raised his hand to seat them back down and gave them one small but calming smile. His eyes then fell upon Wormtail, who looked like he would give anything to make himself smaller in that moment. Remus motioned for him to follow him, and the two disappeared up the spiral staircase to the dormitory, where they could talk.

"Let them be," said Sirius, grinning. "They need some alone time together."

Potter let out a laugh and then motioned for Draco to sit with them.

By the time Remus and Wormtail came back downstairs, Draco had gotten through one quarter of his essay—a huge chunk of it was thanks to Snape's tip about the alchemy. Remus assured his friends that he was quite alright, and so they let out sighs of relief and began a small game of Exploding Snap. Other students in the common room occasionally asked them to keep it down, but they were having too much fun to care. They even asked Draco to join in a couple of times, but he was too invested in his essay. Remus also sat out, preferring to watch rather than participate. Every so often though, Draco caught him watching _him_ instead of the game.

By fifteen to midnight, the common room had grown fairly empty. Potter and Sirius said goodbye to Draco, Remus and Wormtail as the three grabbed their Astronomy books and headed out of the portrait hole for their midnight lesson. In the end, the boys had persuaded Remus to just go to the lesson and get it over with. Wormtail yawned loudly as they walked, and Remus joked about how ridiculous it was to have Astronomy at night, when normal people slept.

When they finally reached the Astronomy Tower, they found that the other NEWT students looked exhausted beyond comprehension. Many of them were barely able to stand on their feet, and Professor Sinistra had to shake them awake with her loud voice. Draco, on the other hand, was wide awake. In fact, he was now growing slightly panicked, for the last memories that he had of this place, were not pleasant at all. He could feel his face growing white and pale, and even caught Remus giving him worried glances a few times. But he shook his head to assure him that he was fine, and collected his blank star chart from Professor Sinistra gracefully. The professor gave a short introduction before she waved the students off to begin.

Draco found it extremely difficult to focus on the task at hand, and not at the memories that the place revived. Every time he spotted a star and marked it on his chart, he heard the echoed scream of someone from the stairs below, followed by a Death Eater's triumphant yell. He heard Bellatrix screeching in his ears, " _Go on, Draco, NOOOOOOOW!_ " He saw the pale ghost of Albus Dumbledore looking back at him with sad eyes. Even that seemed so long ago.

By the end of the lesson, Draco felt extremely lightheaded. It took all the energy he could muster to follow Remus and Wormtail back down the stairs and out of the tower that he had now come to detest. His mind was racing like it had never raced before, and he could feel sweat on his forehead and palms. He was walking but he was not sure how he was managing to do it exactly. In fact, he had no idea how the boys had gotten back to Gryffindor Tower in so little time, or so it felt.

"…and that's why she said that they cannot be charted," said Remus, before he gave the Fat Lady the password and she swung forwards and let him pass through.

"Ah, I get it now," said Wormtail, smiling brightly at his friend.

Draco followed them absentmindedly through the portrait hole.

"About time you lot got back," said Sirius, yawning dramatically.

"What are you still doing up?" Remus exclaimed.

"Waiting for you slowpokes," said Sirius. He got to his feet, stretched and then pointed at the staircase and walked towards it. Remus and Wormtail followed, but Draco hung back, and Potter seemed to be the only one who had noticed.

"Something the matter?" he said, concern in his voice.

Draco looked at him.

"You look pale," said Potter.

Draco merely stared. He had no idea where he was or who he was looking at.

"Oy?" said Potter, nervously. "Hey mate, perhaps I should take you to see the nurse."

"I'm fine," croaked Draco. He felt a lump in his throat. "I just remembered that I left my book back in the tower," he said, more convincingly. Though, as he looked down at his arm now, he realised that he _had_ in fact left his Astronomy book back in the tower. _Brilliant_.

"Oh," said Potter, frowning at him. "Well just go to bed. Get it tomorrow."

"N-no," said Draco, moving backwards to the portrait hole. "No, that's fine. I'll be quick. You go on."

He did not wait for Potter to answer, but fled out of the common room as fast as his legs would let him. He did not stop running until he was well out of Gryffindor Tower and nearing the Entrance Hall. Once there, he ran out into the cool night air and took a few, gracefully deep breaths. His heartrate was finally calming back to normal now. He took in the fresh air as though it had been the best medicine he'd ever received. And soon, he felt better. Loads better.

Feeling determined to do this as quickly as possible, he ran for the tower, all the while dreading returning to the top to retrieve that darn book. But just as he reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to the tower however, he ran into none other than Professor Sinistra.

"Ah, Mr. Black," she said, looking mighty relieved. She handed him the book. "I was hoping you'd return to fetch this."

"Thank you, professor," he breathed.

"Not a problem," she said, smiling. "Now go on before you're caught out of bed after hours. I'm afraid it is too late now for me to administer a note excusing you on the grounds of a midnight Astronomy lesson."

"Right," said Draco, nodding.

He left her, relief seeping into every inch of his body now.

He did not run back to the common room. He felt much too exhausted to care about detention at the moment. His mind had calmed down significantly, as did his heart. He walked along the deserted, moonlit corridors with the book under his arm and his hands in his pockets. Every now and then, a ghost moved near him, but he paid no attention to them. He knew he had overcome something very dark tonight, and was still struggling to understand just how he'd been able to manage that, without bursting into tears right there in front of the whole class. Back in his own timeline, he was sure that he would have.

But as he turned the corner with this thought circulating in his mind, he heard them—voices coming from down the next corridor. He stopped dead in his tracks and strained his ears to listen.

"I'm talking to you nicely. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Draco held his breath. It was Snape.

"So?" said a girl's voice.

" _So_ , you could at least look at me when I talk to you!" said Snape, a little outraged.

Draco fell against the wall and slowly moved forwards, his heartrate accelerating all the while.

"What do you want, Severus?" said the girl, and by the time Draco reached the end of the corridor and turned his head ever so slightly to peek at the neighbouring hall, he recognised the voice as belonging to Lily Evans.

"You know what I want," said Snape.

"Well, too bad," said Lily.

Draco's eyes squinted. Snape had Lily cornered at the end of the hall. But despite this obvious display of powerlessness, she stood straight with her arms crossed and her head held high. She was wearing a dressing gown and her dark red hair was flowing down to her shoulders in the dim candlelight of the corridor. Snape was still in his Hogwarts robes.

"Will you _please_ hear me out?" he said, in a desperate voice.

"There is nothing you can say," said Lily. "You can't fix it."

"You've got to let me at least try!" he cried. "Please, Lily, you owe me that!"

"Excuse me?!" she gasped. "And what exactly, in your opinion, do _I_ owe _you_?!"

"You haven't talked to me in months, Lily, _months!_ "

"I have EVERY REASON not to talk to you, Severus!"

There was silence. Draco heard his heartbeat ringing in his ears and took several deep breaths in an attempt to steady it.

"Face it, Severus, you've chosen your way of life," said Lily, quietly. "And I've chosen mine."

"But I haven't—!"

"Yes, you have!" she snapped, "The very day you called me a ' _mudblood_ '."

Draco watched Snape wipe his face on his sleeve, and couldn't withhold his shock when his book fell from under his arm and hit the stone ground with a loud thud.

The pair swirled around to look at him, standing just behind the wall, staring at them in complete and indescribable shock. Snape, looking utterly frightened, fled the scene at once, leaving Draco standing there with Lily.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she said, accusingly.

Draco picked up his book and placed it under his arm again.

"Nothing," he said.

"Well, you're standing there for a reason," said Lily, crossing her arms again.

Draco took a few steps towards her.

"It's a free country, isn't it?" he finally said.

Lily opened her mouth to say something but then closed it quickly.

"Right answer," said Draco.

He looked down the corridor where Snape had disappeared. He had never seen him look so…so…broken…and vulnerable. It angered him. It made him _furious_. Where did Snape have the right to come off all damaged when it was he, _Draco_ , who was supposed to be damaged? Seeing Snape like this brought truth to Draco's eyes, and he was not sure he wanted it just yet.

"You know," he said, casually placing his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall opposite where Lily stood, "It's not very nice to cold-bloodedly push a person away, when they so clearly apologise to you many times."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know, it's not very nice to eavesdrop on other people's conversations," she said, in a tone mocking Draco's.

Draco let out a small laugh and then looked back at the corridor where Snape had disappeared. He felt sad again. He had never seen Snape cry before, and the sight of it was too unbearable. All his life, if there was one thing that Draco had been sure of, it was that Snape was the one emotionless person he knew. But that had changed completely in the blink of an eye, and the exchange of a few painful words.

"What are you doing here anyway?" said Lily, moving away from the wall on which she had been leaning.

"Wandering," said Draco.

"I mean at Hogwarts," said Lily.

"I don't have to explain that to you," said Draco.

She looked extremely displeased with this direct answer.

"You know, for a boy who is supposed to have been raised by Albus Dumbledore, you're very rude," she said.

Draco moved away from the wall too.

"And how did you know that I'd been raised by him?"

"I hear things," said Lily.

"Or you eavesdrop too," said Draco.

"Oh don't even start," she said. "I am not you."

"Clearly."

There was silence.

"You don't know the first thing about me," said Lily, defensively. "You can't go assuming things, _Black_. You have _no_ idea what's going on here."

"Maybe," Draco admitted, "But I do know a desperate boy when I see one. And I seriously doubt that you would drop dead if you forgave him and..."

His voice trailed off when something finally caught his eye. Lily was standing close enough for him to finally see it, and once he'd seen it, he couldn't un-see it.

The bright green, almond-shaped eyes that were so incredibly distinctive stared back at him in astonishment. Lily seemed to be trying to read what was in Draco's own eyes as he stared at her with such incredulity as he'd never known before.

"I'm going to bed," she said, finally losing her patience.

She turned on her heel and walked away from him, angrily. Draco was not sure how long he remained in that deserted corridor, and was even surprised that his book had not fallen out from under his arm yet again, as it so often liked to do.

"Where've you been?" Potter demanded once Draco finally walked in through the portrait hole.

"Forgot m'book in the Astronomy Tower," Draco mumbled, his feet dragging him to the couch nearest the fireplace.

Potter had been the only one in the empty common room, and he sat down in the chair next to Draco and narrowed his eyes at him.

"That was forty minutes ago," he pointed out.

Draco gave a slight shrug, his eyes on his hands in his lap.

"You're lucky you didn't get caught out of bed at this hour," said Potter, after a while.

"I'd have just said that I was coming back from Astronomy, that's all," said Draco. "Everyone asleep, then?"

Potter nodded.

"Evans just came back ten minutes ago," he said.

Draco glanced at him. The tone of voice he'd just used was an attempt at casual but was obviously littered with accusation. He avoided Draco's eyes and busied himself with some brown object that someone had left on the coffee table.

Draco understood, of course, why Potter was acting the way he was acting. Now, he understood everything.

"She's never been out after curfew before," Potter said, quietly. "Not that I've ever noticed, that is."

"Yeah..." said Draco, waiting for further explanation.

"Not that I care," he added, hastily. "I…ugh, never mind." He got to his feet. "I'm gonna go to sleep, I'm tired."

He tossed the object onto the couch and walked over to the spiral staircase.

"Night, then," said Draco.

Potter waved without turning back to him and climbed up the steps to the dormitory.

Draco looked back at the crackling flames in the fire. It was amazing, how everything was so clear to him now and, looking back to just an hour ago, how very _unclear_ it had all been. He'd obviously understood that Potter had a crush on this mysterious Lily girl, and it was obvious that Snape did too. But now that Draco realised just who she was, everything— _everything_ —made sense.

And as he got up from the couch and made his way to his bed at around 2 in the morning, and as he climbed into it and stared up at the ceiling until 5, he still could not shake away the image of Snape wiping his face on his sleeve and saying ' _please_ ' in that desperate voice; or, for that matter, the realisation that the reason Severus Snape hated Harry Potter so much, was because Harry Potter's mother had chosen the wrong husband.

* * *

 **Thanks.**


	5. The Clean and the Unclean

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful reviews! Updates for this story will be a bit quicker for the next couple of chapters because one of the authors has freed up his/her schedule a bit more. Also, this chapter introduces another OC. Also, spoiler alert...we have a short time jump coming up very soon XD hope you like! **

**Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

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CHAPTER 5: THE CLEAN & THE UNCLEAN

"You look like hell," said Sirius when Draco came down for breakfast next day. "Seriously, mate...like _hell_."

"Thanks," Draco muttered, taking a seat next to him.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Remus asked, concern evident in his voice.

Draco shrugged. He filled his plate with pancakes and as much syrup as could possibly keep him awake at least for the day. He then glanced over at the Slytherin table, hoping to see Snape. He wasn't there. However Draco's eyes did land on another curious Slytherin who happened to be watching him intently. Draco started and looked away quickly.

"You okay there?" Potter asked, his eyebrows raised as Draco angrily stabbed a batch of pancakes with his fork.

"Fine," Draco grumbled without meeting his eyes.

There was silence. He knew that the boys were exchanging looks and trying to figure out how to fish it out of him but he just kept his eyes on his plate as he ate. Remus suddenly changed the subject and began asking Potter about when he was going to hold Quidditch trials—an effective tactic in distracting the boy—but Draco could still feel Sirius' eyes firmly on him. He made the mistake of meeting them for a fraction of a second, and then gave himself away completely by glancing over at Lily Evans who was sitting several seats over, reading that morning's edition of the _Daily Prophet._ Sirius followed Draco's gaze and then made a strange sort of face that Draco did not quite understand.

After breakfast, Draco followed the boys to their first lesson of the day—Defense against the Dark Arts. They took their seats and waited for Claybrook to arrive. Draco's eyes darted at the door every time a student entered, but he was consecutively disappointed. Even after Claybrook entered the classroom and closed the door behind him, Snape had not shown up.

Draco tuned out most of the lesson, which was fine considering Claybrook had chosen to discuss inferi that day and Draco already knew all about them. He found his mind wandering a fair bit...wandering to the night before...to the moment he'd looked into those emerald green eyes that were blazing with fury as they stared back at him.

"Oy!" Sirius whispered, elbowing Draco painfully.

Draco jumped.

"What?" he said, irritably.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at him and grinned in Lily's direction. It appeared that Draco had been watching her for a whole two minutes without even noticing. She turned around in her seat to lend some girl a quill, and flipped her dark red hair in the process of it. Draco turned to Sirius.

"I was just daydreaming," he whispered.

Sirius' grin did not fade.

As Claybrook went over to the board at the front and began drawing some diagram that the students were meant to copy, Sirius passed the talking-in-class notebook along to Draco, who frowned down at it as he read Sirius' message.

 _I've noticed you staring at her when you don't think I'm looking._

 _So?_ Draco wrote back.

 _So what, you fancy her?_

Sirius grinned at him even more broadly as he passed the notebook back. Draco scoffed at it and wrote very quickly, _Absolutely not_.

Sirius frowned as he read the message, and it was several minutes before he replied.

 _What's wrong with Evans? If you ask me, she's mighty fine._

Draco tried hard not to roll his eyes as he read this message because he knew that Sirius was watching him intently. However, he hesitated before replying. Sirius was not the Black whom Draco could tell exactly why he _didn't_ fancy Lily Evans—that would be the other Black currently enrolled at Hogwarts. However _that_ Black was not exactly on a first name basis with Draco at the moment, so he couldn't exactly trot over to him in the Great Hall and say "That mudblood Evans is annoying as hell!" Though, Regulus Black _was_ watching him practically everywhere he went, so perhaps that moment was not far from now.

 _She's just not my type_ , Draco finally wrote.

Sirius nodded as he read it, and then scribbled, _Good, because Prongs would kill you if she was,_ before hastily putting the notebook away as Claybrook turned to face the class again.

"Tomorrow," he announced to the room at large, "We will be holding a practical lesson on nonverbal spells. You should all bring your wands with you, and leave these ridiculous books where they belong—on your shelves, to gather dust."

Several members of the class sniggered or cheered quietly. Claybrook took no notice of this and moved back to his diagram to add a few touch-ups here and there. Draco copied the diagram exactly, though his mind was wondering where Snape could be at that moment.

"See you later then," Sirius told Draco at the end of the lesson as they packed up their things and filed out of the classroom.

"Yeah, see you," Draco said, and Sirius waved to Potter and went off with Remus and Wormtail to enjoy their free period.

"Okay, let's go," Potter said as he began to lead the way to the Muggle Studies classroom, which was good considering Draco hadn't the slightest clue where it was— _or_ who was the teacher, for that matter.

Back in his own timeline, he couldn't care less about Muggle Studies and thought the subject was stupid altogether. But unfortunately, he would not be able to take the same approach in this timeline. It had been a spur of the moment thing, choosing Muggle Studies when Professor McGonagall had asked him about his selections for NEWT. Yet now, he was really, really _not_ looking forward to it at all.

"Here we are," said Potter, pointing Draco to a classroom on the left of the second-floor corridor.

They entered it together and stopped dead at the door.

"No," Potter breathed, his eyes glaring. "He took NEWT level Muggle Studies?!"

"Huh?" said Draco, following his gaze.

Snape was sitting with Mulciber in the corner of the classroom, their heads together as they had a whispered conversation. Upon Draco's and Potter's arrival, Snape looked up hopefully and frowned as he took in their presence. Potter muttered something under his breath and motioned for Draco to follow him to a pair of seats somewhere in the middle of the classroom.

"Why don't you want to sit at the back?" Draco asked, taking the seat and setting his bag to the ground.

"I have vision problems," said Potter, though Draco could see right through it.

At that precise moment, a certain redhead entered the classroom. She stopped at the door and took in the classroom. Snape glanced up at her hopefully. Lily's eyes darted from him to Draco sitting with Potter. Her smile faded and she took one of the seats at the very front by herself. Snape sighed and put his head in his hands again. Beside him, Mulciber let out a cold laugh. Draco scowled at him. What on earth was Severus Snape doing taking NEWT level Muggle Studies, and why the hell was Mulciber playing along with this?!

"Come on everyone, settle down," said a woman's voice from the front.

Several more students entered the classroom and hurried to their seats. When everyone was ready, the voice said, "Are we all here?"

The class mumbled their responses and some students—Lily Evans being among them—took out their books and flipped them to page one.

The woman at the front cleared her throat and moved from the dark shadows of the corner where she'd been standing. As she moved forwards, her appearance was revealed in the morning light that was peeking in through the windows, and the room silenced instantly. Draco saw Mulciber grin stupidly and forced his gaze away from Snape to look at the front (to where Mulciber was grinning). Draco's jaw dropped.

The woman at the front of the classroom looked like the type of woman he did not want to cross—a fair bit like McGonagall—as well as the type of woman he most definitely wanted to cross. She embodied every boy's dream—her perfect, sleek blonde hair waved down to her shoulders, her dark blue robes and black cloak stretched to the ground, and her thin arms rested on her hips as she stared out at the barely full classroom.

"Welcome to NEWT level Muggle Studies," she said.

"She's certainly changed over the summer," Draco heard Potter mutter in his ears.

"For those of you who do not know me," said the woman, her eyes lingering over Draco for a fraction of a second, "I am Arianna Livesey, but Professor Livesey will do." She paused and took a step forward. "I've taught many of you and I am delighted that you've chosen to continue my subject at the NEWT level. However, I must warn you that it won't be all fun and games as this class may have been in the past. We will of course have our fair share of experiments, but it will also be serious work."

" _Definitely_ changed," Potter whispered.

Draco glanced at him and found him grinning. Draco looked back at Professor Livesey with amazement. She was definitely not at Hogwarts in _his_ timeline—he would've noticed a pretty thing like that, walking about the school corridors.

"Today, I will be giving a short introduction to NEWT level Muggle Studies and then we will be working in groups on a little assignment I thought we'd begin the course with," Livesey continued. She moved to her desk and picked up a piece of paper from which she began to read. "Although Muggle Studies is considered by some to be a soft potion, it is the direct route to ministry careers involving muggles, which is definitely thought to be prestigious. This class aims specifically to acquaint witches and wizards (who do not have direct contact with Muggles) with the way they live. However, those who _do_ have direct contact with muggles, often take this class to better expand their knowledge on how the wizarding world perceives them…"

Draco lost interest almost as soon as Livesey started her little speech. He began to doodle absentmindedly on the notebook in front of him as he waited for that group assignment to begin already. He noticed that Potter was not very engaged in the lesson either. His eyes were fixed almost permanently on Lily, who was copying Livesey's every word into her notebook. Whenever Potter noticed Draco looking at him, he quickly looked away and scribbled a word or two in his own notebook, though his eyes almost always went back to Lily.

On the other end of the classroom, Mulciber was resting his head on his arm and blinking slowly up at the front, whereas Snape was staring out the window by which he sat. Draco fought hard not to walk over there right then in the middle of class and demand to know where Snape had been that morning and why on earth he was taking—

"Alright," came Livesey's voice quite loudly, snapping Draco out of his daze. "Your assignment is as follows: In groups of 5, you will be provided with several popular muggle objects. You are to examine these objects and together discuss why they have not gained such popularity in our world. You are also to come up with our equivalents for these objects and at the end of the lesson, you will present to the class a report on how we wizards could evolve and come to accept such muggle objects for everyday use."

The students closed their books and shut them in their bags as Livesey waved them all to stand up and move to the back of the classroom. She then waved her wand in the air and moved the desks into three groups of five.

"Let's see," she said, moving over to where the students were lined up. "You five," she said, pointing at three Hufflepuff students and a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw, "Go over there." They moved out of the line and took their seats at a group of tables. "And you five, over there." Draco frowned as he glanced over at the remaining students.

"That leaves you five to work over at this table," said Livesey, pointing Draco, Potter, Lily, Snape and Mulciber to the table at the back.

They glanced at each other resentfully but nonetheless took their seats. Livesey returned to the front of the classroom and waved her wand again. Five spectacular objects appeared at each of the tables, as well as some scrolls of parchment, quills and ink bottles. Lily instantly took to writing the group members' names on the parchment in front of her, and then folded her arms on the desk and waited for more instructions.

"Remember," said Livesey again, "You are to discuss _together_ and present a report at the end of class _together_. Very well then, off you go."

And the room suddenly filled with chatter.

Everyone at Draco's table avoided eye contact with each other, though Mulciber was very much enjoying smirking at Lily, which kind of bothered Draco. Everything about Mulciber bothered Draco, and he could not _believe_ that Snape was actually friends with this self-absorbed bloke.

"Kay, let's start then," said Potter, suddenly.

He picked up one of the objects on the table and rotated it in his hand for a few seconds before saying, "I've heard of these—they're called mobile cellulars."

"It's cellular _phones_ ," said Lily, irritably. "Not mobile cellulars."

"There is no such word as 'cellulars'," Snape mumbled, his eyes on the table.

"Right," said Potter, placing the object back in the pile. "So the cellular _phone_ is a way muggles use to talk to each other."

"Naturally," said Lily, who began writing this down on the piece of paper in front of her.

" _She_ ought to know," Mulciber said in a low voice, but no one besides Draco seemed to hear this.

"Okay and what is the wizarding equivalent to cellular phones?" Lily asked the group without looking up from her paper.

"Uh," said Potter.

"Letters," said Snape, quickly. "Muggles used to use them too, before Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and from it evolved the cellular phones. Before this happened, muggles were also very popular with letter writing."

Draco could tell that Lily was amazed that Snape knew all this—heck, he was amazed himself—because her jaw had dropped just a little bit, but she made a point of writing it down without even looking up at Snape or acknowledging in any way that she had heard him. This irritated Draco deeply.

"Good job, Sev," said Mulciber, sitting up in his chair. "I think you're ready to join the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office at the ministry."

"Shut up, Mul," Snape grumbled, his eyes landing on Lily hopefully again.

She ignored him.

"What else?" she asked the group.

"Uh," said Potter, who looked slightly taken aback by Snape's interruption before. "Well I was gonna say that the Protean Charm would work as well."

Both Lily and Draco gaped at him.

"What?" he said, though he couldn't suppress the grin that crossed his face now. "It's simple, really—the charm links several objects together through a common purpose. So you could charm specific notebooks so that every time you write in them, wizards of a specific group will receive these messages in their notebook and be able to write back."

"You can do it with pretty much any object," Snape added in his still low grumble, but Lily thoroughly ignored him and continued to stare at Potter with narrowed eyes.

"How did you know about the Protean Charm?" she said, suspiciously. "It's a NEWT level standard and we've only been NEWT students for about 4 days."

"I dunno," said Potter, shrugging, though the grin was back now. "I read a lot."

Mulciber let out a snort and Potter raised his eyebrows at him, but Lily ignored him too and continued to stare at Potter.

"I'm impressed," she said after several moments.

Draco swore he'd heard Snape's heart stop beating for about five seconds. He'd certainly dropped the pen in his hand at Lily's comment. And Draco also swore that she'd noticed but had chosen to ignore this.

"There is also communication by way of Patronus Charm," Lily muttered to herself, and Draco noticed Potter nodding along as he watched her write. "The Patronus Charm of course being a more advanced way of magic."

"And not one that many wizards can do," said Potter, his head turning towards Snape expectedly.

Snape gave him a look of deep loathing and turned away, while beside him, Mulciber smirked at Potter.

"Okay, moving on," Lily said, noticing the boys all glaring at each other.

Snape gathered himself again and selected an item from the pile.

"This is called a car," he said, rotating the miniature red car model in his hand for everyone to see. "Or a car on a keychain...It is also known as a vehicle. It is one of the most common muggle ways of transportation."

"Oh I know that," said Mulciber. "I've been in one of those a few years back."

"It is said to be the quickest way that muggles can get anywhere," Snape continued, his eyes landing on Lily once more. "However muggles are also notorious for using trains and buses and bicycles and scooters. The wizarding equivalents are many-varied: apparition, portkey, floo network—"

"Brooms," said Potter, his own eyes on Lily as well.

Lily was writing down everything that they were saying but still refusing to look up and meet Snape's eyes. Draco could see the desperation on his face as he fought to get her attention.

"Flight creatures too," he continued. "Dragons and hippogriffs and—"

"Thestrals," James blurted out, and he turned brilliantly red as everyone at the table turned to look at him.

"Not everyone can see them," Lily pointed out after an abrupt silence.

Draco kept his eyes firmly on the next object at the table—a blue fountain pen.

"Moving on," he said in a low voice.

Lily hesitated before writing the number 3 on the parchment in front of her.

"Okay so let's have a look at this," she said, picking up the fountain pen and holding it for everyone to see. "This is a pen—they are probably the most widely used muggle objects in the world and—"

" _You_ would know," Mulciber grumbled with another fake cough.

Lily stared at him.

"Don't you have anything better to say than the same old insult over and over again?" she said, lazily.

Mulciber's smirk faded.

"She's right, mate," said Potter, who looked amused.

"Didn't ask _you_ , did I?" Mulciber growled at him. " _Mate_."

"No," said Potter, still brightly, "No, I think you _growled_ at me."

"And I think I'll do worse than that if you don't'—"

"Oh shut up both of you!" said Lily.

The boys stared at her in amazement.

"I'm tired of this," she said, defensively. "Let's just get this assignment done and over with."

"That's a good attitude," said Snape, again in hopes that she would look at him.

But once again, Lily ignored him completely and held up the fountain pen yet again. Draco felt a sinking in his heart.

"This pen is the evolution of the quill and ink bottle," she began. "Muggles used quills and ink in ancient historical times as well, but they eventually merged the two into a more effective object. Unfortunately, wizards have simply not caught up with the technology."

"And also not to mention that writing with a pen on a bit of parchment would prove to be quite difficult," Snape added, this time loudly and clearly so that Lily was bound to hear him.

She simply placed the pen back in the pile and bent over the parchment in front of her to write.

"Did you hear him?" Draco demanded before he could even think.

All eyes were on him again.

"He made a good point," Draco told Lily, fighting hard to suppress the anger that was building up inside of him.

Lily stared at him. Potter also looked confused, as did Snape, but Draco refused to meet either sets of eyes and kept his eyes fixed on the hypocritical little redhead that was sitting right before him.

"Would it kill you to acknowledge that you'd heard the person?" Draco went on. "Or are only your opinions valid here? I thought this was supposed to be a _group_ assignment."

"I…" said Lily, who looked too lost for words.

Potter silently nudged Draco with his elbow, making Draco snap out of his trance and stare at him.

"Calm down," Potter mouthed.

Draco looked away.

"Let's move on," Snape said, clearing his throat loudly so that everyone would refocus.

Beside him, Mulciber was eyeing Draco with a mixture of suspicion and admiration, both of which seemed to set Draco's teeth on edge now. He resorted to looking around the classroom instead—at the other students working or even at Livesey sitting at her desk and watching them—so that he wouldn't have reason to get angry again.

"…but the only equivalent that I can think of, really, is a wand," Snape concluded as he tossed the package of bandaids and stitches to Mulciber (who gave them one disgusted look and threw them down on the table as though they were contaminated).

"What's the matter, you think you'll catch the plague if you touch them?" said Potter, smirking.

"I just might," said Mulciber, meeting his eyes. "You never know what filth lurks around muggle objects, given where they—"

" _Shut up_!" Snape hissed at his neighbour.

Mulciber only smirked again and leaned back in his chair, looking utterly bored. Lily's eyes were still on Draco, who was doing his best to collect himself.

"Aren't you going to write it down, Evans?" Potter asked.

"What?—oh yes…yes I will."

Lily looked away from Draco with contempt and furiously scribbled something down. Potter frowned at her but said nothing. Snape looked very uncomfortable sitting there, and Mulciber appeared to be daydreaming at that point.

"Okay so we are saying that our way, that is, the _wizarding_ way, is more efficient and effective because it doesn't take up any resources whatsoever," said Lily to the table at large.

"Who are you to go calling it _our_ way?" Mulciber demanded of her suddenly.

"Hey, back off!" Potter barked but Lily raised her voice over his.

"Excuse me?" she said, her eyebrows raised at Mulciber. "And what exactly do you mean by that comment?"

Mulciber opened his mouth to speak but Snape quickly nudged him and said to Lily, "He doesn't mean anything. Let's just move on."

"No, no, I want to hear this," said Lily.

"Of course you do," Draco muttered.

Lily turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Black, but do you have a problem with me?"

"No," said Draco, simply and honestly. "I just have a problem with hypocrisy."

"What hypocrisy are you talking about?" Lily demanded.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about," Draco told her, his eyes glaring into hers as he silently dared her to remember what she'd said the previous night about him being too rude to have been raised by Albus Dumbledore.

Something changed in Lily's eyes as she stared at Draco, and it was several moments before Potter—sitting somewhat between them—awkwardly said, "Shall we move on?"

"I'll go," Draco snapped, grabbing the next object before anyone else could. "This is a 20 pound bill—it's an example of muggle currency. Muggles also use coins but bills have become more popular because they are easier to carry around and the making of them also saves lots of resources."

"Right," said Potter, who looked to be extremely taken aback by the strong look that Lily was giving Draco now. "Right and they're also not as easy to lose as coins are."

All heads turned to Lily for approval of the explanation. Mulciber was snorting about something now.

"Y-yes," said Lily, her voice shaking slightly. "And we…um, I mean _wizards_ use coins as their primary forms of currency…there's the Sickle…the Knut…and the…the…g-galleon."

Draco rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest impatiently. Great, now she was going to start _crying_. The filthy little—the stupid—no wonder Harry Potter was such a crybaby. He'd _completely_ taken after his irritating mother!

"…so if there is one thing that the wizarding community could improve on, it's money," Potter concluded, "Improving our currency."

Lily nodded and wrote it all down on the parchment in front of her, which was now thoroughly filled with text. Draco started once he realised that Snape was watching him. His black eyes were pouring into Draco's so intently that it was as though he was trying desperately to read something in them. Draco refused to look away from him, but was subjected to do so only at the sound of the dismissal bell, which was quickly followed by the loud movements as students began to leave the classroom.

"We'll continue this tomorrow!" Livesey called over the noise. "Bring your scrolls of parchment with you for your presentations!"

"Come on, let's get out of here," Potter muttered, nudging Draco to get up.

They gathered their things and left the classroom together, both of them in worse moods than they'd had before.

"Everything alright?" Potter asked as they walked to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Fine," said Draco.

"You seemed really ticked off back there," Potter observed.

Draco merely shrugged. He had no interest in discussing this with Potter. It's not like the git would understand—all he cared about was his stupid Quidditch and the stupid Lily girl.

"You know," he said suddenly, moving in front of Draco to stop him walking. "You can't judge people before you get to know them."

"What genius book did you get that from?" Draco said, unable to help himself.

Potter raised his eyebrows.

"It's actually a very useful book," he said, boldly. "It's called _The Bloke Who Bloody Listened_. You should check it out sometime."

"Whatever," said Draco, moving past Potter to the staircase leading up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Where you going, it's lunchtime!" Potter called after him.

"Not hungry," Draco replied without turning to face him.

He did not end up going to Gryffindor Tower. He didn't really fancy bumping into any more people there, so he turned around halfway and ended up in the library again. Fortunately, Snape wasn't there this time and so Draco didn't have to come up with an excuse that would explain his behaviour back in that classroom. If Potter had questions, Snape no doubt had some too.

The rest of the day's lessons were not all that memorable. Draco kept quiet and listened to the teachers ramble about all these facts and figures that he'd already memorised long ago. He doodled absentmindedly in his notebooks and stared out of the windows into the clear blue sky or the brightly sunlit Quidditch stadium. And before long, it was dinnertime and Draco, starved, hurried with his dorm mates to the Great Hall.

"We missed you at lunch today," Remus said as they filled their plates with roast beef and mashed potatoes.

"Yeah, I had a headache," said Draco, dismissively.

His arm gave a slight tinge of pain as he reached to pour himself juice. He winced, but none of the others noticed.

"Wait so I don't get it," said Sirius, turning to Potter. "Snivellus is taking NEWT muggle studies? Why the hell is he doing that? He's the biggest pureblood supremacist we know!"

"I can think of a very good reason why he's taking muggle studies," said Potter, his eyes on Lily who was sitting on the other end of the table.

Sirius followed his gaze and then said "Oh".

"From what I've heard," said Wormtail, "They don't talk anymore—Lily and Snape."

"I can't imagine why," said Potter, sarcastically. "Maybe she finally came to her senses."

"Stop it, James," said Remus. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions—you have no idea what happened."

"But you do," said Potter and Sirius together, their arms folded.

Remus looked up from his plate.

"Um," he said, looking from one to the other.

"Come on, Moony, tell us!" Sirius pleaded. "We're your best friends! I think we've proven that we can keep a secret— _Ow_ , _don't kick me!"_

Draco pretended not to notice Remus telling Sirius to shut up. He kept his eyes on his plate and his anger from earlier that day as levelled and controlled as humanly possible.

"Sorry," Sirius muttered quietly. "But come on, Moony, just please tell us!"

Remus sighed. He looked around the table to make sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. Then, he leaned forwards and lowered his voice.

"Snape called Lily a mudblood."

" _What_?!" cried Potter and Sirius together. They looked over Remus' shoulder at the Slytherin table and found Snape quickly. He was sitting with Regulus, Mulciber, and that Avery boy.

"What, again?" Potter said to Remus.

"No," said Remus. "Don't you guys remember that day we finished our OWLs?"

"Y-yeah," said Potter. "Wait, so that's it? She's mad at him because of that day?"

"Well after she refused to talk to him anymore, he started following her…stalking her…trying to get her to talk to him."

Draco slowly looked up from his plate now.

"He's…he's refusing to accept that it's over," said Remus, awkwardly.

Sirius and Potter exchanged a look.

"We'll help him accept," said Potter, and they both actually rose from their seats.

"No," said Remus. "Sit down now, both of you."

They hesitated.

"I mean it," said Remus, and he looked it too.

Potter slowly sat back down, though Sirius remained standing.

"It is none of your business," said Remus.

"I can make it my business!" said Potter, defensively. "Remus, it's…look, I…I care about Lily, alright? And...well, we're Gryffindors! We take care of our own. If someone's bothering her—"

"James, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Lily," said Remus, sharply. "Sirius, sit _down_."

It took another moment's hesitation but Sirius finally sat back down. He gave Draco a small smile and resumed eating.

"Well what are _you_ doing about it then, seeing as how you're _so_ concerned?" Potter demanded.

Remus raised his eyebrows.

"I am being there for her as much as I can," he replied, "Just like _she_ was there for _me_ …at a time when _others_ couldn't be."

"Couldn't be?" repeated Potter. "Others _wanted_ to be, but _someone_ was keeping them in the dark for some reason."

Oh how subtle, thought Draco. They were being so damn obvious about it. Wasn't _anyone_ able to keep a good secret these days? He, Draco, had to keep an entire lifetime a secret from all these people, but they couldn't keep their small, unimportant secrets to themselves.

"And why were _you_ so angry in class today?" said Potter with accusatory in his voice.

It took Draco a minute to notice that Potter was talking to him. He looked up from his plate and frowned.

"How do you mean?"

"Oh come _on_ ," said Potter. "You were about ready to rip into Evans' throat!"

Draco shrugged.

"Do you not like Lily?" said Remus, quietly.

"I don't know her," said Draco, truthfully.

"Mulciber was being a bit of a git too," Potter muttered. "I swear, it was the most awkward class in my entire life."

 _That, it was,_ thought Draco.

"But you seemed to really have a problem with her," Potter continued, his eyes narrowed at Draco now.

"I dunno," said Draco, shrugging plainly.

Potter continued to stare at him suspiciously, and Sirius looked from one to the other somewhat nervously.

"Guys," he said, loudly. "Look, it's been a long day. Why don't we just skip the after-dinner hangout and call it a day?"

The others nodded slowly and quickly finished their dinners. Then, the five of them got up from the table and retreated to Gryffindor Tower.

"Wizard's Chess, anyone?" Sirius said with a loud yawn as they climbed through the portrait hole.

"Yeah okay," said Potter. "I'll go get it."

He ran upstairs.

"I'm going to do the Charms homework," said Wormtail in a small voice, and he retreated to a table at the far end of the common room.

"What are you gonna do?" Remus asked Draco, who shrugged in response.

His left arm was really bothering him now, so he placed his hands in his pockets and held the inside of his left pocket hard with his fist. Remus retreated to one of the squashy armchairs by the fireplace just as Potter returned with a Wizard's Chess set. Sirius sprawled onto the carpet by the fireplace and cracked open the set. The two of them began to set it up while Remus watched. Draco decided to join on one of the couches too, though he got out his Transfiguration book so that he could distract himself from the pain.

As the evening progressed, more and more students entered the common room until it was an hour before curfew and the common room was completely filled with noise and chatter. Sirius had won the last three games and he and Potter were wrapping up their last one now. Remus was snoozing peacefully on the couch and Wormtail had already gone off to sleep. Draco meanwhile, tried to keep his heartbeat levelled. It was accelerating fast for some reason, and he could feel panic welling up inside him again, though he did not know why.

"Okay hold on," said Potter, suddenly jumping to his feet. "I have to go to the bathroom—Draco, watch him so that he doesn't cheat."

Draco nodded in understanding and Potter quickly ran up the stairs to the dormitory. Sirius leaned back on the couch with his hands behind his head and smiled weakly at Draco.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," said Draco.

"Look, don't pay any attention to James," he began. "He gets really…over-protective when it comes to Evans. We've all had to get used to it. Remus has it worse than me and Pete do because he's actually really good friends with her."

"Pot—I mean, James really gives him a hard time then?" Draco asked.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "Yeah he's a jealous bloke, that's for sure. Then again, so is Snivellus." He laughed. "You know, they're kind of alike…not entirely, of course. Snape's still a git and James is one of my best friends. But they think alike in some ways…Don't tell him I said that though—he'll eat me."

"I won't," said Draco, with a soft grin.

"Thanks," said Sirius, relieved. He paused. "So what _is_ your problem with Evans? James mentioned you seemed really pissed at her."

"There's no problem," said Draco.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at him.

"Honestly," Draco added, hastily.

"Alright," said Sirius, throwing his arms up. "Don't tell me—I'll find out anyway."

"Good luck with that," Draco muttered.

"So," said Sirius, grinning more broadly now. "How's Livesey looking these days?"

Draco smirked.

"Mighty fine," he admitted.

Sirius sighed happily and closed his eyes.

"I'd have taken her NEWT class if I'd actually passed that OWL," he explained. "We Marauders have been taking it for years now, and only because she teaches it. Trust me. Although, James has other reasons to take it, as I'm sure you'll have noticed."

"Marauders?" said Draco.

Sirius opened his eyes and laughed nervously.

"Uh, never mind," he said, quickly. "Look, here comes James."

Just as Potter returned from the bathroom, a voice called "Oy, James!" from the other end of the common room.

Potter looked up.

"Hiya Frank!" he called back.

A tall boy with short brown hair jumped over one of the couches and joined Potter and Sirius on the carpet.

"I didn't get your notice about trials," he said.

"I have to make a few more adjustments to the list," Potter explained. "Don't worry, I'll get it to you."

"You'd better," said the boy called Frank. "I'm holding you to your promise to include me in your selection for a beater. I can't have some nutter playing the position with me."

"Do you really think I'd let a nutter into my team?" said Potter, smirking. "I'll most likely resign before that day comes."

"Here's to hoping!" said Frank.

He turned slightly and his eyes fell on Draco, all pale-faced and sweaty.

"Uh, hi there," said Frank, frowning at him.

"Oh yeah, this is Draco," said Potter, lazily, as he watched one of Sirius' knights wreck his pawn.

"The new kid," said Frank, nodding.

"Also known as _another_ Black," said Sirius, his eyes on the chessboard.

"Nice to see you," Frank told Draco. "I'm Frank."

"Frank's in seventh year," Sirius explained.

Draco stared at him, trying to make sense of who he reminded him of just a bit...he knew he'd heard the name Frank before...and then it hit him. No _freaking_ way. This reserved-looking, highly-aware-of-his-good-looks boy was a _Longbottom_?!

"I know what you're thinking," said Frank, grinning at Draco. "What's this cool-looking seventh year doing with a bunch of dorks like Potter and Black here?" He patted them both on the backs but they shoved him away, neither looking up from their game which was growing more intense by the minute.

"Okay well I'm gonna leave you lot to it then," said Frank. He waved at Draco and went to rejoin his seventh year friends on the other end of the common room.

Draco tried to turn around and see if maybe Longbottom's mother would be anywhere near him, but the sudden surge of pain that hit his arm made him actually cry out. Both Potter and Sirius looked up from their game, alarmed.

"You okay?" said Sirius.

"Fine," said Draco, quickly. He let his Transfiguration book slide from his lap and slowly got to his feet. "I…I'm just gonna go get some air."

"Do you need us to come with you?" Potter said, slowly.

"No, don't," said Draco. "Just…" he looked down at the chessboard, panicked, and then up at Potter. "Move your bishop four squares diagonal left to get his rook."

Without waiting for either of them to react, Draco fled the common room. Down the marble steps, he ran until he was far from Gryffindor Tower. He trotted past corridors, ran right through ghosts who shouted back at him, and almost knocked into a few portraits. Finally, he stopped running. He was standing in front of the boys' washroom on the seventh floor, just a corridor away from the Room of Requirement entrance. Checking to make sure no one had followed him, Draco let himself in and shut the door behind him. He checked under all the stalls and then dropped himself to his knees by one of the sinks, his right hand fidgeting with his left sleeve rapidly. He finally managed to tear the sleeve off and gasped as he watched the black ink of the Dark Mark droop down his arm right before his very eyes.

Panicked, he pulled his entire sweater over his head and then brought himself to his feet and quickly turned on the water from the tap. He soaked his arm as much as he could, but the water wasn't making it any better. In fact, it was only making it worse. His arm was positively _stinging_ now. He fell to his knees again and groaned as the pain worsened to the point where Draco felt himself passing out. He quickly shook his head and brought more water to his face. He then leaned against one of the stalls and rested his head. With his eyes shut, he concentrated hard on taking deep breaths, in and out.

Tears were now streaming down his cheeks quite stubbornly. Vivid pictures of memories he had tried very hard to suppress were now dancing before him. He could hear the yells and the screams from that night on the Astronomy Tower again. He could hear his mother's pleas back at home, telling him to just do as told. He could hear his father's worthless promises that everything would be alright if he just followed through with the Dark Lord's wishes.

" _Please let me help you,_ " said Dumbledore's voice now.

Draco's eyes flew open. This wasn't going to make him feel any better. He tried to think of Pansy…of Crabbe…Goyle…any other memory that he could extract from his years at Hogwarts…but nothing seemed to do the trick. He tightened his grip on his arm and closed his eyes again. If it would just stop…if he could just get back up and return to the common room as if nothing had happened, he would make sure that things went differently this time. He would pay more attention to the signs. He would do whatever it took…if it would just stop hurting.

After about eight minutes, the pain finally began to subside. Draco let his eyes open just a little to examine the completely damaged arm. The Dark Mark was still there, but about a quarter of it had faded, the ink barely visible now. Draco started. This wasn't supposed to happen, was it? He wiped his face on his right sleeve and slowly brought himself up so he could wash his face. The cool water felt really good and so Draco began to wash his hands too. He washed them over and over again, feeling completely dirty all over. A shower would feel good right about now. He felt so dirty...contaminated...as though he were carrying some deadly germ...in a way, he was. After he'd turned the tap off, his watch let out a loud beep, making him jump. It was twenty minutes until curfew. Draco quickly pulled his sweater back over his head and his sleeve securely down to his wrist. He then straightened up, washed his face one more time, and left.

Walking along the dark and deserted corridors, he forbid his mind from wandering back to that terrible place. He closed it completely—like Bellatrix had taught him to do in their Occlumency lessons—and concentrated instead on the excuse that he would give Potter and the others when they asked where the hell he'd run off to. At least he'd managed to distract them by giving Potter the ingredient to finishing that game. The poor git really was terrible at chess.

"Lily, don't be so stubborn!"

Draco froze. _Not again_.

"Let go, Sev!"

"Not until you talk to me!"

Lily and Snape were standing just at the end of the dark corridor. Well, standing was a bit of an understatement. Lily was trying to pull her arm free from Snape's grip, but he was pulling her towards him desperately.

"Let go, Sev!" she repeated.

"I will if you hear me out!"

"I said, _let go_!"

Draco gasped as a spark of red flew just past him and hit the wall on the other side. There was a small crack and a few bricks flew off. Lily quickly waved her wand to repair the wall, but her face was angrier than Draco had seen thus far, because she had finally spotted him. Snape let go of her arm quickly.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" Lily demanded and Snape himself looked a bit startled to see Draco there.

Draco walked towards them slowly, his heart racing again from what had just happened. He stopped just in front of them, glanced at them for about a split second, and then turned to move past them.

"Stop where you are!" came Lily's voice.

Draco froze. He _had_ to stop doing this—walking in on their little late night meetings. He turned around just in time to see Snape stalking away angrily, though Lily was completely immune to the fact that he'd left. Her eyes were still fixed firmly on Draco as she pocketed her wand.

"What do you want?" he said, quietly.

"I want to know why you're always following me!" Lily said, angrily.

"Oh don't flatter yourself, I'm not following you."

"Well, you certainly seem to be at the same place at the same time as me quite a fair often."

"I just had to go to the bathroom," said Draco, truthfully.

"Yes, as if there aren't any of those in the common room," Lily pointed out. "What is it that you want with me? Tell the truth!"

"I don't want anything from you, _believe me_ ," said Draco, with a look of deep disgust.

Lily started.

Not wanting to stick around, Draco turned away from her again, but once again she cried "STOP." He turned back, sighing.

"Why were you so angry with me earlier today?" Lily asked, this time a bit calmer.

"I wasn't," said Draco, simply.

"Oh come _on!_ " cried Lily, letting out a cold laugh and folding her arms. "You were so mad, I don't think Professor Flitwick's students down the hall heard you well enough—don't you roll your eyes at me!—Look, I demand to know what your problem with me is."

"You _demand_?"

"Yes, I _demand!_ "

There was silence.

"I told you," said Draco, finally. "You're a hypocrite. I hate hypocrites."

"How am I a hypocrite?!" cried Lily in her uttermost high-pitched voice.

"Hmm, how about you going off on me the other night about being too rude to have been raised by Dumbledore, when you _refused_ to acknowledge that Snape was contributing in class today!" Draco snarled. Lily frowned. "It's not exactly your place to tell me that I'm rude, is it?"

"Well it's not exactly your place to tell me how to treat Snape, _is it_?" Lily responded. "Look, my business with Snape is just that— _my_ business! You have no right telling me what to do—"

"Likewise," said Draco.

Lily stared at him. Her emerald green eyes were more pronounced now than ever as they blinked back at him and Draco was sorely reminded of his greatest school nemesis. He just had to have gone back to _this_ year. He couldn't have gone back to a different year— _any year at all!_ It had to have been this one.

"Who _are_ you?" Lily whispered now. "You…you act like you know all of us. But you've been here for all of four seconds. How…how dare you intervene in our lives?"

Draco looked into her eyes. She was staring back at him determinedly. He did not like this at all—this interrogation from a complete nobody.

"Look, I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone, okay?" he said.

He turned to walk away but this time, Lily actually grabbed his arm and turned him back around.

"No, you _will_ tell me what is going on, and stop walking away from me when I'm talking to you!"

Draco pulled his arm free and took a step towards her.

"Or what?" he said, darkly.

Lily took a step backwards and dropped her arms to her sides, looking somewhat startled.

"I…" she said, her breath hitching ever so slightly. "I…I just want to know what it is I did to make you hate me so much."

Draco continued taking slow steps towards her and Lily backed all the way into the wall. He could tell that she was afraid of him now—afraid of what unpredictable thing he might do. But he had no intention of doing anything to her. This was not his style. So he simply put his hands back in his pockets, turned away from her, and said "Goodnight, Evans," before leaving her alone in the moonlit corridor.

* * *

 **Thanks and please review!**


	6. Welcome to the Family

**A/N : We're SO excited to bring back one of our favourite characters this chapter XD Hope you guys love it! **

**Also, the story is now officially available in Korean, thanks to the wonderful wevertaRK1D**. **Search up 시간과 마루더즈와 호그와트 and you should be able to find it. Otherwise, message them for details.**

 **Also, special thanks to Esrath for all your fantastic reviews, and also to Irsndigle (glad you loved the joke!) and N,E,D,CL,1. Draco and the marauders finally getting Remus' condition out into the open will be quite a shocker for all of you XD**

 **And finally to Watter213, agreed. On everything you said, completely. **

**Enjoy the chapter everyone!**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks **

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CHAPTER 6: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

The next morning, Draco awoke with slightly better spirits than he'd had all week, the reason for it being very simple. After his little panic attack in the boys' washroom the night before, he'd realised how big his role really was in this timeline. He was making a huge mistake concentrating on silly things. What he really needed to concentrate on was what he was willing to do to improve things this time. But before he could even worry about improving things, he would first have to investigate them further and decide just what needed improving. And in order to do _that_ , he had to play the part better.

"Morning!" Draco exclaimed once the boys finally got out of bed and came down to the common room.

"Hey," said Potter, slowly. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Yeah, you've even beaten Remus and we all know what a nutcase he is, getting up at 6 in the morning practically every day!" cried Sirius.

Remus frowned.

"I haven't been up long," said Draco, quickly. "Come on, let's go eat."

The boys exchanged looks but nonetheless followed him out of the portrait hole.

"Something on your mind there, Draco?" said Potter as they walked.

"Nope," said Draco, simply.

"You gonna tell us what the hell happened to you last night?"

"It was nothing."

They turned the corner and climbed down the stone steps leading out of the tower.

"I'm worried about that quiz we have today," said Wormtail, nervously.

"We have a quiz today?" said Potter.

They turned another corner and went down a few more steps.

"Y-yeah, Professor Grubbly-Plank told us so two days ago," said Wormtail.

"Whoops," said Sirius. "Guess we didn't hear her."

"Nice going, guys," said Remus, but the other two simply shrugged.

They finally reached the Great Hall and found it almost completely deserted. Only a few early birds were sitting here and there and quietly enjoying their meals with Daily Prophet newspapers propped up against juice pitchers in front of them. None of the staff had arrived yet either. Sirius yawned loudly as the boys sat at the Gryffindor table and began to pass around the toast and butter. A brown, sarcastic-looking owl flew overhead and dropped that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet right in front of Potter. He grinned at it as it flew away again.

"Thanks, Harry!"

Draco's eyes widened.

" _Harry_?" he repeated.

"Yeah," shrugged Potter. "I've always been fond of the name."

"He's named practically everything he owns Harry," Sirius told Draco. "His first teddy was Harry, the security blanket he brought with him to first year was also Harry…"

"Shut up, Sirius," Potter growled into his breakfast cereal.

"…and he'll probably call his son Harry one day, and his son's son…"

"Don't make me hex you, Black," Potter said, darkly.

All the boys except for Potter were now laughing themselves to tears. He grumbled again and buried himself in the newspaper. Wormtail got out his Care of Magical Creatures book to study some more. Remus began reading some thick book and Sirius was now staring up at the ceiling with tired eyes.

"Thank the heavens that it's Friday," he said, sighing.

"Yeah, it's been a long week," Remus agreed.

Draco nodded.

"I was thinking," said Sirius, sitting up finally. "We should do something tomorrow night. . . I'm really bored and the school could use a few laughs. Let's pull a prank."

"You have anything particular in mind?" said Potter, putting down the newspaper.

Sirius shrugged.

"Dunno but I'm sure we'll think of something. Remus?"

"You're kidding, right?" said Remus. "After that whole aquarium incident in third year? _Never_ again."

Before Draco could ask, Sirius and Potter leaned forwards with boyish grins on their faces.

"It was the most epic prank we have pulled to date," Sirius began.

"Just a typical school day for the great students of Hogwarts," said Potter, his voice in story-like mode.

"The staff and students had no idea what was coming for them," said Sirius with a happy sigh.

Draco smirked as the two exchanged a look.

"So what happened?" he asked.

"Well, let's just say that...the most widely used corridor in the school—that's right, I'm talking about the one on the second floor—was a little too… _watery_ for use that day," said Sirius.

"Just a tad," said Potter.

Remus shook his head and closed his eyes.

"They gave the four of us detention for a week after that stunt you two pulled," he said.

"Exactly what do you mean by… _watery_?" said Draco.

Potter grinned at Sirius.

"They mean that they transformed that entire corridor into a large aquarium," said Remus. "The water was contained but the fish were definitely large. It took the teachers all day to transform it back and of course we four were to blame."

"Of course," said Potter and Sirius together.

"How on earth did you guys manage it?" said Draco, smirking at them.

"Ah," said Sirius, leaning back in his chair. "That'll have to stay our little secret."

"To the grave," Potter nodded, the both of them looking extremely pleased with themselves.

"So," said Sirius, leaning forwards again. "What do you say, Draco? You up for it? Tomorrow night?"

"Uh," said Draco, suddenly remembering. "I can't." The others looked at him pointedly. "I have my first lesson with Dumbledore tomorrow at 8."

"Oh yeah," said Potter, looking disappointed. "Damn."

"Fine then," said Sirius, simply. "Sunday night it is."

"Can't believe you're going to have to take these lessons with him every Saturday," said Potter. "That's got to be so depressing...EXTRA lessons."

"Yeah," said Draco, nodding. "It is."

Truth be told, he was actually looking forward to it. He wondered whether, come 8 o'clock Saturday, he'd have the balls to tell Dumbledore about the panic attack he'd had in the boys' washroom. And if not…about everything else that he'd observed this entire week—this week that had to have been the longest week of his existence.

"Come on," said Potter, who was shaking Draco awake from his little daydream. "Potions."

"Right," said Draco, finishing his juice and jumping to his feet. "Potions."

Slughorn was in unusually high spirits that morning as they entered his classroom about ten minutes later.

"I have loads of great stuff planned for today's lesson!" he announced. "Come on, hurry up, find your seats."

The boys quickly scrambled over to their table and set their book bags down. Draco nodded at Snape as he passed by him, but Snape did not respond. Slughorn waved his wand at the door to shut it and then brightened the classroom.

"Today, we will be brewing elixir," he announced, "And not just any elixir…we will be brewing elixir that induces euphoria."

Several of the students cheered at the sound of this and Slughorn let out a laugh.

"The recipes are found on page 32 of your books and the ingredients are in the cupboards as usual. If your potions pass my approval test at the end of the class, you get to take them with you. Deal?"

"Yeah Professor Slughorn!"

"You go, sir!"

Slughorn let out another laugh and then clapped his hands for them to begin.

Remus turned to Sirius.

"Your turn to get the ingredients," he said. "You too, James."

The two boys groaned and forced themselves out of their chairs to the cupboards. Draco followed them with his gaze until he saw Snape headed for the cupboards too.

"Um actually!" cried Draco, stopping the two boys. "Sit. I'll get 'em."

"No Draco, they shouldn't be lazy," Remus protested, but Draco shook his head and went over to the cupboard alone, timing himself so that he reached it exactly at the point when Snape did.

"Morning," said Draco.

Snape looked at him with a puzzled expression, and then opened the cupboard.

"Hello," he said.

"What's this stuff?" said Draco, picking up a pair of long, sharp objects.

"Porcupine quills," said Snape without even glancing at it.

Draco hesitated.

"You sure know a lot about potions," he observed, while silently kicking himself.

 _What a pathetic excuse for small talk_.

"Yeah," said Snape. "Lucky me."

 _Yep, pathetic._

Snape turned and walked away from Draco with a pile of objects in his arms. Draco stared after him until he noticed Potter and Sirius urgently waving him over. He quickly gathered the rest of the objects and hurried back to his table, feeling many eyes on him. He settled the ingredients onto the table and turned to look at his classmates. They all quickly turned away from him.

"W-why are they all staring?" he asked.

"You're the new meat, mate," said Potter, simply. "They've been staring at you all week. You're only noticing just now?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," Draco muttered, his eyes landing on Lily for a fraction of a second and then at Snape, who was sitting in the shadowed corners of the classroom by himself and scribbling something into his copy of _Advanced Potion Making_. Draco knew all too well what he was writing now. He turned to look at Remus, who was already stirring the contents of his cauldron anti-clockwise. He reached into the pile of ingredients from the center of the table and pulled out a pair of Sopophorous beans. He meant to drop them into his cauldron but Draco stopped him.

"What's up?" Remus asked.

"You want to add a sprig of peppermint first," he told him.

Remus frowned at his book.

"That's not on the instruction list," he observed.

Potter looked up.

"You trying to sabotage Moony's potion?" he asked Draco with a smirk.

Draco smirked back at him.

"Trust me," he told Remus.

Remus bit his lip and then went to the cupboards to fetch the peppermint. He brought it back and added it into his cauldron. It hissed and sizzled for a few seconds, and then turned a beautiful lilac.

Sirius whistled.

"Thanks," Remus grinned at Draco, who grinned back.

"Well, well," said Potter. "So, potions genius, what do we add after the peppermint?"

"You follow the rest of the recipe as is," Draco observed.

About a half hour later, Slughorn began walking around the classroom and observing how the students were doing. When he got to their table, his eyes went very round.

"Remus!" he exclaimed. "This potion's perfect! You too, Mr. Potter. And Mr. Black! And you too, Mr. Black! You boys did wonderfully!"

They grinned at each other. Draco turned in his seat to find Snape watching him from the other end of the classroom. They stared at each other for about two minutes and then Snape shut his book angrily and shoved it into his bag. Draco hesitated. This was not what he'd intended when he told Remus to add the peppermint.

"Uh," said Slughorn, peeking into Wormtail's cauldron. "Perhaps you should stir it a few more times?"

Wormtail groaned.

"Splendid work, boys!" Slughorn told the table at large. "Very splendid!"

"It's all thanks to our new buddy Black over here," said Potter, in a very loud voice.

Draco really wished he hadn't. Snape now looked like he wished he could be anywhere else.

"I can always tell when a new student in my classroom has potential," Slughorn said.

Draco turned back to him and nodded.

"Thank you, sir," he said, quietly.

Slughorn beamed at him and then lowered his own voice.

"You know, I am more than just a fellow professor at the school and head of Slytherin House," he said. "I own my own club where I only let in select students—those who really show potential to be something great."

Draco nodded along.

"Remus here is a proud member of the club for about two years now, and at the start of each year, I recruit new students. Would you be interested?"

"I…" said Draco, who was caught completely off guard. He'd always thought the Slug Club was just a way for students to show off…students like Harry Potter and that mudblood Granger of his. Draco turned round to look at the others in the class, who were still watching him. Then, he looked at Remus who was also eagerly awaiting his answer. He sighed and turned to the professor again. "It'd be an honour, sir."

"I can't believe it!" laughed Potter when they left the potions room an hour later. "I still can't believe it."

"Neither can I," Draco admitted.

"Oh stop laughing, James," said Remus, irritably. "It'll be a really good opportunity, Draco. And we'll be in it together."

"Who else is in this club?" he asked.

"Several people," said Remus, "But he selects new students every year so I'm not sure for now."

"I still can't believe it!" laughed Potter again.

Draco gave him a small smile.

"So how come you two aren't in this club too?" he asked Potter and Sirius as they walked to Defense against the Dark Arts.

They both burst into laughter.

"Because we've gotten into trouble one too many times," said Sirius. "That's fine though—we'd rather spend all those club meetings planning our next legendary pranks."

"Ah," said Draco, his eyes suddenly landing upon Sirius' torn pant. "What happened?"

Sirius looked down at it.

"Oh yeah, that was a little incident last night," he said. "It's nothing—I just tripped in the dark."

"In the dark?" said Draco.

"He means he was snogging with Ellen Bennet in the broomstick cupboard again," said Potter, rolling his eyes.

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh and Draco joined in too.

Ten minutes later, they entered Claybrook's classroom and found all the desks had disappeared and there was a large space in the middle of the room.

"Come on, hurry up," he told them as they filed inside.

They dropped their bags and their books at the end of the classroom and moved to the center with their wands out.

"Find a partner, I don't care who, and start practicing right away. It is to be completely silent in this room for the next hour."

"But sir!" cried some blonde Gryffindor girl who was practicing with Lily. "We already did this exercise with Professor Flitwick in Charms earlier this week!"

"Not all of you," Claybrook reminded her. "Not everyone in this class is a NEWT level Charms student, Ms. MacDonald."

The girl called MacDonald blushed fervently.

"Come on, Mary, let's practice over here," Lily told her.

She glanced at Draco once before moving with the girl called Mary to the other end of the classroom. Not too far from them, Snape was already practicing with Mulciber.

"Okay," said Potter, turning Draco's attention back to him. "How do we do this? We're five now. Wait, where's Moony?"

They looked around but Sirius quickly waved them back to him.

"I sent him to the hospital wing while we were walking, didn't any of you notice?"

They shook their heads.

"Why, what's wrong with him?" Draco wondered.

"Uh he's just feeling a little peckish," Sirius mumbled. "He looked green after Potions. Anyway, James, you take Draco and I'll take Wormtail over here. It's my turn to babysit him anyway."

Wormtail frowned at him but Sirius only led him away, while Draco turned to Potter.

"What's wrong with Remus?" he asked.

"I dunno," Potter mumbled, shrugging. "Anyway, you want to blast me off into the air like last time or can I try doing the same to you this time?"

Draco shrugged and pocketed his wand so that Potter could go first this time.

Near the end of the lesson, Lily suddenly broke away from Mary and hurried over to where Potter and Draco were practicing. They both froze at the sight of her.

"What's up, Lils?" Potter asked, but she only scowled at him.

"Don't play games with me, Potter, I only came over here to ask you where is Remus," she said.

"Hospital wing," said Potter, who looked slightly hurt but was trying hard not to show it.

"Is everything alright with him?"

"Just peckish," Potter mumbled.

Lily nodded, though the concern didn't leave her face. She glanced at Draco for about a fraction of a second and then nodded at Potter again and went back to Mary without a word. Potter looked from her to Draco suspiciously, but Draco innocently pulled out his wand and said, "Wand away, Prongs. It's my turn."

At the end of the lesson, Draco said goodbye to Wormtail, Potter and Sirius who went to write that quiz for Care of Magical Creatures. He stood outside of the Defense classroom for about ten minutes, wondering what he should do with his free period. Then, he turned around and began walking. His mind was swirling about that look on Snape's face back in the Potions room, when he finally reached the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey was changing the sheets on one of the beds, and as Draco peered his head in, he saw that every single one of the beds was unoccupied.

"Where is…?" he began.

"Mr. Lupin went to Arithmancy," Madame Pomfrey informed him.

"But I thought he was sick," Draco said, slowly.

"Yes well, it's nothing I can't remedy with a little antidote."

"Right," said Draco, frowning at how much younger she looked.

When she noticed him still watching her, she raised her eyebrows at him expectedly, and he turned and walked back out the door.

He moved along the empty hallway absentmindedly, his book bag hung over his shoulder. So, Remus was feeling better. That was one less thing to worry about. Turning the corner, Draco spotted Evan Rosier rushing out of the boys' bathroom and hurrying up the stone steps.

"Hey hold on!" Draco called after him.

Rosier did a double-take when he realised that Draco was approaching him. He turned on the spot and lifted his chin so that his head was held high.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, where's Snape?" said Draco.

"Arithmancy, but I don't see how that's any of your business," said Rosier. "Who are you again?"

"To you, no one," said Draco, boldly. "And we never had this conversation."

Rosier smirked but Draco took one step towards him, making him back away slightly and wiping the smirk off his face too. Rosier put his hands up in surrender, turned around, and walked away. Draco stared after him and then frowned. _Arithmancy_? What the hell was Snape taking Arithmancy for? Turning around, Draco decided to head to Gryffindor Tower, all the while wondering how it was that teenage Snape was nothing like adult Snape.

When Draco finally reached the common room he stared around. There was absolutely no one in sight. He threw his book bag at one of the armchairs near the fireplace and then headed back out.

"If you weren't planning on staying, why bother me?!" the Fat Lady shrieked after him as he headed down the corridor.

Draco ignored her.

He thought about going to Dumbledore's office but then decided against it, remembering that they had a lesson together the next night. And so, somehow, Draco ended up outside, walking along the lake's shore. The clear blue sky was nicely reflected in the smoothly sparkling lake and the flowers were blossoming under the blazing sun. Draco loosened his tie and buried his hands in his pockets as he walked, thinking. Maybe having a free period once a week without any of the others would do him good—it would give him time to think about all that he couldn't think about when he was too busy keeping his grades above everyone else's so that no one would doubt he was "raised" by Dumbledore, or trying to play matchmaker between the highly insecure Snape and stubbornly arrogant Lily, or trying to convince Potter, Sirius and Remus that he was worthy of their secrets, or—

"Hey, Black!"

Draco turned around. The boy jogging towards him was not wearing Hogwarts uniform but had on trousers and jersey with some Quidditch team's name on the front.

"Hey," he said, stopping in front of him. "Draco, right?"

"Y-yeah," said Draco, scratching his head. "Yeah, you're uh…Frank Longbottom."

Frank frowned.

"I don't recall telling you my last name," he said.

Draco paused.

"Uh, y-yeah I just… must've heard it from Pot—uh, James or Sirius I think."

Frank smirked.

"Alright, I get it," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "New kid is interested in what makes the coolest kid around here…well, cool."

Draco let out a nervous grin and then looked down.

"So, um…what are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Running," said Frank, looking around the empty shore. "You?"

"Oh um just walkin'," said Draco, also looking around.

"I didn't know you have this as a free period," said Frank. "We should run together—gotta keep in shape, you know."

"Uh right," said Draco, nodding.

Frank smirked at him again.

"So are you gonna tryout for the team?"

"Uh no," said Draco, looking back down with a sheepish smile.

Frank frowned at him.

"Well why the hell not?" Draco looked up at him. "You sporting some kind of injury?"

Draco paused and then let out a smirk.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Yeah, something like that."

"Well that's too bad," said Frank. "We could've used you—you've got the beater's build."

"I take it you're a beater yourself?"

"Since third year, yeah," said Frank, looking proud. "Anyway, I gotta keep going but hey, see you around."

"Yeah, see you," said Draco, waving him off and Frank continued with his jog.

He remained standing there for a while, watching Frank and thinking about how very _unlike_ Neville he was. Perhaps Neville got all his oddness and dorkiness and unfortunate looks from his mom, whoever she was. Deciding it was too hot out to stand around in his uniform, Draco turned and began walking back to the castle, still thinking about the strangeness of it all—being here at Hogwarts with all his former classmates' parents in their youth. It was funny; in his own timeline, they were all so adult and mature and… _adult_. But here, they were just a couple of stupid kids, worrying about the same stupid things that he and his friends used to worry about—which girl was decent to go out with or who was winning the next Quidditch match or why they needed to bother learning all this stupid stuff for the exams. There wasn't much else to worry about because they had their parents to take care of the rest. But now, Draco actually got to live the parentless experience and he really hated having to be the one that takes care of all of the decisions. Yeah, Dumbledore was here but at the same time, he wasn't. He was refusing to let Draco tell him anything about the future, which wasn't exactly helpful. It was just as frustrating as trying to solve a puzzle when you only had the corner pieces and the rest was missing.

Draco got back to the castle soon enough and spent the rest of the free period in the Great Hall, working on his Charms homework. Remus was right—it had been a long week, but it felt absolutely nothing like Friday. It felt like today was going to be just as long as tomorrow and the day after, and perhaps the rest of his life in this completely twisted timeline where all of _his_ decisions actually affected others'.

When the bell finally rang, Potter showed up in the Great Hall and waved Draco to join him. Draco quickly packed his things and hurried over.

"How was that quiz?" he asked.

"Bombed it," said Potter, simply. "Come on, we've gotta hurry. One more lesson to go."

"Ugh," said Draco, and they both made their way to the third floor for that highly anticipated Muggle Studies lesson continuation.

They were the last ones to get there and found that the classroom was rearranged to their groups like before. Professor Livesey waved her wand to shut the door behind them.

"Come on, boys, grab your seats," she said, impatiently.

They moved to the table at the back where Lily, Snape and Mulciber were sitting, all of them with their arms crossed strangely enough. Lily's head did not even turn as Draco and Potter took their seats. Her eyes remained fixedly on Professor Livesey who was waiting up at the front for everyone to quiet down. Snape, Draco noticed, was watching him with a completely different air than he had the day before . . . and that's when it hit Draco—Snape probably saw him as just another one of those ridiculous prats called Gryffindors. How tragic.

The lesson was actually not as bad as Draco had thought it would be. Maybe this was because everyone in the group was completely silent the entire lesson and refused to speak to each other . . . Or maybe because they spent more than half the lesson listening to the other groups' presentations and then used the last ten minutes to do their own. Lily did all the talking while the four boys stood on either side of her, waiting. In the end, Livesey gave them a decent grade and dismissed the class with a two-scroll essay on muggle objects and their wizarding equivalents, to be completed by Monday.

"Have a nice weekend," Potter groaned as he exited the classroom with Draco at about 4 o'clock. "Yeah right."

They headed back to the common room where they found the others, who were enjoying their Friday afternoon free period. They dumped their bags and spent the afternoon lying around the common room lazily, while their classmates slowly began to crowd around as well. Remus took another nap on the couch, which Draco found to be quite strange. He did look rather ill. Wormtail got out his homework and spent a good hour frowning at it. And Potter and Sirius were huddled by a group of girls in their year, all of them giggling as the boys talked about what an amazing Quidditch season they were going to have. Draco shook his head at them and then went to sit next to where Remus was snoozing, inadvertently waking him up as he collapsed on the couch.

"S-sorry," he mumbled, looking apologetic as Remus wiped his eyes and looked around, confused.

"Oh ," he said, sleepily. "No, it's okay. Um…what time is it?"

"Just before six," said Draco. He paused. "How are you feeling?"

"What?—oh, I'm totally fine," said Remus, sitting up quickly and forcing a smile on his face.

"I heard you went to the hospital wing earlier," Draco pressed him.

Remus paused.

"Y-yeah," he said, slowly. "Yeah, well I didn't really sleep well last night so I guess I felt a bit…"

"Peckish," said Draco, nodding.

Remus looked at him worriedly.

"Yeah," he said. "Peckish."

Draco smiled at him and then turned his head to look at Potter and Sirius and their group of girls in the corner.

"Were they always like this?" he said.

Remus followed his gaze and then nodded.

"And how does Wormtail fit into all of this?"

"He just tries to be anywhere they are," said Remus, sighing. Draco nodded.

"When I first started here at Hogwarts," he began, and Draco turned to face him again, "I wasn't really the same person that I am now." Draco frowned. "W-what I mean to say is that I was different before my friendship with James and Sirius. I…I suppose I was a bit insecure…and quiet."

"You're still quiet," Draco pointed out, kindly.

Remus smiled.

"Yeah, but I have become more _lenient_ over the years, thanks to those two gits," he said, nodding in their direction again. "They've influenced me in ways I'm not sure I'm very proud of…" he paused again, and then smiled. "But I wouldn't take anything back. In fact, I would do it all over again. They're really loyal and they stand up for you and…"

Draco turned back to look at him and saw that Remus was struggling.

"And?" he said.

Remus sighed.

"Tolerance. They have a… _generous_ amount of tolerance."

Draco looked at them again and nodded.

"Yeah, I get that," he said. "Believe me."

He felt a pair of eyes on him from somewhere in the common room and was quite positive they did not belong to Remus. Lily was sitting in a corner with a large book, taking turns scowling at Potter and Sirius with their fanclub, and then at Draco. He found himself wondering whether she was prone to making other people feel like she was above them, when suddenly Remus nudged him.

"Come on, let's go eat."

It was then that Draco actually realised that everyone in the common room had gotten up from their seats and were now filing out of the portrait hole. Potter and Sirius joined the two of them, both of them looking mighty pleased with themselves, while Wormtail got lost in the sea of Gryffindors leaving the common room.

"Still got it?" Draco asked Sirius.

"Still got it," he said, happily.

Draco hadn't realised how hungry he was until they actually reached the Great Hall. He and the boys spent the first couple of minutes stuffing down their dinners hungrily. Only when they were ready for seconds did they actually start talking. Draco didn't contribute much because he really was too hungry and tired from the hectic week, so he contented himself with nodding along and smiling every time a joke was cracked—most of them being Sirius'.

About halfway through dinner however, Draco noticed that Regulus was watching him from the Slytherin table. He was sitting next to Snape and Rosier, both of whom did not seem to notice that he was watching Draco. Draco watched him back and was surprised that this time, Regulus did not look away. What was it about him that reminded Draco of himself so much? He couldn't quite pinpoint it and it was starting to drive him really mad.

"Hey!" cried Sirius, throwing a breadcrumb at Draco and thus interrupting his staring contest with Regulus.

"What?" he said, innocently.

"What's the matter with you? You didn't even laugh at my joke about the hag, the healer, and the _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_!"

Draco smiled sheepishly and continued with his meal, trying hard to ignore the fact that Regulus was still watching him.

After dinner, the boys joined their classmates for the after-dinner Entrance Hall hangout. They took their seats on the stairs again and Draco looked around with interest. Students had actually parted ways to let them through. It was as though the boys had somehow declared those stairs as their spot, and no one else was allowed to sit there. Or at least, no one else was stupid enough to try it.

Sirius and Potter got out the signup sheet for the team and began scratching out names and discussing. Remus, as usual, got out another book and proceeded to read it, while Wormtail sat with Draco, his little mousey eyes on him. Draco tried to ignore him but what he really wanted to do was hex him out of his sight. The kid really was very annoying, and the fact that he _couldn't_ just up and hex him, was even more annoying. So Draco settled with watching his classmates going about their own activities.

Some Hufflepuff girls were admiring one tall boy who was showing another tall boy how to do a Bludger Backbeat with an invisible bat. Draco smirked to himself, wondering how the students would react if he showed them the Chelmondiston Charge, which would not be invented for another ten or eleven years, or so he'd heard.

Over on the other side of the Entrance hall, a few Ravenclaws were sitting cross-legged by the doors to the Great Hall with books in their laps. Some other students were playing Exploding Snap or Gobbstones and the Slytherins were mostly huddled in their corners, watching the rest and discussing them under their breaths. Snape was not among them, but the rest of his friends, Regulus included, were. Some of them were eyeing Draco with interest while the others stood with their arms crossed and their eyes on several other students. Then, Regulus suddenly moved away from the group. Draco followed him with his eyes, trying to see over the heads of the many students in the crowded hall, until Regulus finally stopped somewhere in the corner next to some pillar. Apparently however, Draco was not the only one who had noticed this.

"What in the ruddy…" said Sirius, his eyes also on Regulus and the mysterious figure with whom he was standing in the corner of the Entrance Hall. Something suddenly changed in Sirius' face as comprehension finally dawned on him.

"I'll be right back," he grumbled, tossing the list back to Potter. His eyes turned to him. " _Stay here_."

Draco, Potter, Remus and Wormtail stared after him curiously as he walked over to the corner of the Entrance Hall to meet the two people standing there. And then, Potter jumped to his feet excitedly.

"Holy cricket," he said, a boyish grin on his face.

"It's not…." said Remus, also getting to his feet.

"It sure is," said Potter.

He smirked at him and then jumped off the last step and followed Sirius' path.

"James, no!" hissed Remus, also jumping off the step and following. "Sirius said 'stay _here_ '! James!"

Without looking round at Wormtail, Draco also got to his feet and quickly followed the other two to where Sirius was talking in a low voice to a woman who was leaning against the pillar with her arms crossed and her black eyes blazing as she smirked at him. Regulus was standing beside her, looking grim-faced. His eyes landed on Draco and he instantly looked away from him. Draco narrowed his eyes as he followed.

"…you have no reason to be here now," Sirius was saying when the boys finally reached him.

Remus and Potter, Draco noticed, had decided to keep their distance as they stood a few feet away but close enough to hear the entire conversation.

"Oh come now, little coz, isn't it quite normal for me to be visiting my faves here at the castle?"

"We both know nothing is normal about you, dear Bella," Draco heard Sirius hiss angrily.

Draco's heart stopped. It must've stopped for a good two minutes, he swore it. Bellatrix? _Bellatrix_? THAT'S WHO THE BLACKS HAD SENT TO INTERROGATE HIM?!

Bellatrix' black eyes shifted from Sirius to Potter, while Regulus' were firmly fixed on Draco again.

"Hey there, beautiful," Potter said to Bellatrix, his left hand casually pushing through his messy black hair while the other hand slipped into his pocket.

"Hey there, blood traitor," she replied with a tone of mockery, her grin never fading.

Her eyes shifted to Remus.

"And ugly," she said, acknowledging him. "Where is ugly #2?"

"What do you want, Bellatrix?" said Sirius, impatiently.

Bellatrix smirked at him again but did not respond because her eyes finally landed on Draco. Her smirk faded only a little and she moved away from the wall and took a few steps towards him. Draco remained rooted to the spot, his hands in his pockets and his face as serious as ever. He knew he'd thought it many times, but this time, he really meant it…

…he was going to _kill_ Dumbledore for insisting he take the name Black.

"Bellatrix," Sirius repeated behind her, but she ignored him.

"So this must be the fresh new meat of the family," she said, cunningly, as her eyes surveyed Draco's face. "It's quite a pleasure to meet you."

"Ow!" cried Regulus, and Draco looked over Bellatrix' shoulder to find that Sirius had just pushed him.

"Why'd you invite _her_?" Sirius demanded, angrily.

"I d-didn't!" Regulus replied, desperately. "I didn't know she was gonna come!"

Bellatrix seemed quite immune to this little exchange, her eyes still on Draco and a smirk widening across her face as she pursed her lips.

"Bella," Sirius said, darkly. "What do you want? What are you doing here?"

"Just here to welcome him to the family, of course," she answered without turning to look at Sirius. Her black eyes shifted between each of Draco's grey ones, as though she was trying to catch one of them in a lie. Then, quite expectedly, she turned a fraction and nodded at the east corridor that led to the dungeons. "Shall we?"

Draco glanced once at Remus and Potter, both of whom looked slightly worried now. Sirius however, looked absolutely outraged and shot a look of deep loathing at his brother. Regulus looked down at the ground without a word. As Bellatrix began to walk, Sirius meant to stop her but Draco held up his hand silently and gave Sirius an "it's okay" nod before following Bellatrix down the hall and out of sight of the others, panic slowly rising inside him. They did not have to walk long before she found an empty classroom and led him into it.

"Have a seat," she told him.

He did so, taking a desk in the front row.

Bellatrix did not speak at first. She pulled off her black travelling cloak to reveal a long black skirt that showed off one leg completely. Her arms and legs were covered in the same fishnets that Draco had grown used to seeing her in over the years, except now she was sporting several sparkling black jewels on her neckline as well. Her long black hair was the usual curly mess but her face looked so well—so healthy—so seductive. Her eyes still on Draco, she pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a flick of her wand. Draco said nothing but simply stared as she took a puff of smoke and then began to slowly walk around the room, the clicking of her heels being the only sounds.

And suddenly, Draco did not feel nervous anymore. This would be fine. It would be easy! She would just be the same Bellatrix that had spent many nights over at his house with his parents…the same Bellatrix that had calmed him after many of his anxiety attacks over the Dark Lord's assignment for him…the same Bellatrix who had told him stories of their ancestry. That Bellatrix frightened him a great deal, true, but _he_ had the upper hand this time, because he knew her well, and she did not. Not in this timeline, anyway.

She did a complete lap around the room before she stopped in front of Draco's desk and blew smoke in his direction. He did not move or say a word, his game face suddenly turned on.

"Muggles sure are clever in one thing," she finally said, indicating the cigarette that was resting in between her long-nailed fingers. "I picked up the habit just over a year ago."

Draco said nothing. Bellatrix remained standing over him as she contemplated something. He watched her intently, waiting. If she was anywhere near the same Bellatrix that he had known, she would no doubt start going off about one of her torturing adventures just to show off . . . right . . . . . . about . . . . . . . . . . . . . now.

"I remember exactly the day that I picked up the habit. A couple of buddies of mine took me out to one of them muggle pubs. We had a lot to drink and then decided to start firing off curses here and there, just for the fun of it. This one muggle was standing at the back of the pub with his cigarette and my wand might have just slipped. It really was too bad—he was quite handsome. We could've had a lot of fun together."

"I imagine you and your buddies got into an awful lot of trouble at the ministry after an incident like that," said Draco, knowingly. He'd heard this story before countless of times at small gatherings in the Malfoy House. But Bellatrix stared at him now, and he tried to suppress his grin for he knew that she was thinking "How the bloody hell did he know?" Draco simply stared at her innocently and waited for a response.

"We did," she finally said, lowering her hand with the cigarette in it. "There were several different hearings, but in the end there was nothing that the ministry could do to us. They had no evidence, see."

"Clever of you," said Draco.

There was a moment of silence.

"Yes," said Bellatrix. "Clever, indeed."

Draco waited. Bellatrix was eyeing him with the utmost suspicion and a touch of curiosity. Finally, she extinguished her cigarette and took a seat right in front of Draco. He crossed his hands on the table and waited.

"I suppose you're wondering who I am," she said, mirroring his actions with her own hands.

"I suppose," said Draco, shrugging.

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes.

"Bellatrix Black," she said, extending an arm for him to shake.

Draco took it without hesitation.

"Draco Black," he added, letting go of her hand after the shake and crossing his hands on the desk once again.

Bellatrix did the same, her eyes never leaving his.

"So," she said.

"So," he repeated.

The door suddenly creaked behind her. She looked round at it and watched the door open and close at its own accord. Bellatrix frowned and then turned back to Draco.

"Expecting company?" she asked him.

"Not at all, you?" he said.

"No," she said. "Let us get started then."

"Yes, let us."

A moment of silence.

"Well, I assume you know why I am here," she began. "I assume either Regulus or that imbecile of a brother he has, told you that someone from our family would be…wanting to meet you in advance..."

"…Before I was exposed to the rest of the family," Draco filled in. "Makes sense."

"So we're on the same page then!" said Bellatrix. "Let us start from the beginning. Tell me exactly how you came to be."

"Well you see," said Draco, unfolding his arms and leaning forwards. "When a man and a woman love each other, a powerful urge sweeps over them…"

Bellatrix's cool faded instantly from her face. She scowled at Draco. Draco smirked and then leaned back again, re-crossing his arms.

" _Or_ ," he said, deciding she did not find it funny, "I was left on the doorstep of a muggle orphanage at a young age with nothing but a note that stated my full name and birth date."

"And what name and birth date was that?"

"Draco Black, born June fifth, nineteen eigh—um, sixty."

"1960," repeated Bellatrix.

"That's right," said Draco, who tried to ignore his almost catastrophic mistake just now.

"I see," said Bellatrix. "And in all those years that you were at this muggle orphanage, which was by the way called…?"

"Gallard's Home for Boys," Draco invented wildly.

"I shall be checking that," said Bellatrix.

Draco nodded.

"So in all those years at Gallard's Home for Boys, you never had any visitors?"

"Only Dumbledore," said Draco.

"No Blacks?"

"None."

"And how old were you when Dumbledore came to visit you?"

"Which time?" said Draco, simply.

Bellatrix frowned at him.

"The _first_ time," she said, irritably.

"Six," Draco recited.

"Six," repeated Bellatrix.

"That's right," said Draco. "Do you need to write that down?"

"Oh I have a perfect memory, believe me," she said, coolly. "Why did Dumbledore visit you when you were six? Did he ever tell you?"

"I used accidental magic for the first time when I was six," said Draco. "Dumbledore talked to the workers at the home and then he talked to me...told me about how I was a wizard…explained that he was a professor at a school for wizards and promised that I would one day attend."

"Now this is my favourite part," said Bellatrix, suddenly leaning forwards with a curious smile on her face. "If you were to one day attend Hogwarts and study wizardry, why was that one day pushed until you were sixteen? Why not eleven like the rest of us?"

Draco leaned forwards as well and met her eyes.

"You'll have to ask Dumbledore that," he said, and he knew that Bellatrix was _not_ happy with this answer.

He knew her too well, even in this timeline. And she seemed to sense this because she kept hesitating and changing her questions. So far, she had done everything that was predictable of the old Bellatrix—the future Bellatrix, post-Azkaban. But the worst was yet to come.

"I'd like to talk about your sorting now," she said.

"Fine," said Draco. "What do you want to know?"

"What the Sorting Hat told you when you were on that stool."

Draco smirked.

"That is between me and the Sorting Hat, is it not?"

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at him, and then pulled out that famous crooked black wand and placed it on the desk in front of her.

"I suppose it is," she said, pointedly.

Draco stared at it for about ten seconds, and then something out of the corner of his eye caught him by surprise. It was as though a small part of a person's torn pant-covered leg had appeared and disappeared out of nowhere. Sirius. But how on earth did they get in? Bellatrix snapped her fingers in front of Draco's face and he jumped to look at her again. Her eyebrows were raised. Draco sighed.

"The Sorting Hat told me that there were two houses in which it saw me fit," he said, truthfully. "It never told me what the other house was."

"Do _you_ have any idea what that other house could be?"

Draco hesitated.

"I have my suspicions," he finally said.

Bellatrix nodded.

"Go on," she said.

"So you can imagine how… _trying_ it was, to receive the sorting with a bunch of munchkin first-years. I told the Hat to hurry the hell up and it did. Believe you me, getting sorted into Gryffindor was the last thing I'd imagined when I walked through those doors that day."

"Why is that?" said Bellatrix.

Draco frowned.

"Well, you certainly speak as though you know so much about the wizarding world and about Hogwarts…but I can't understand how you could, if you were, like you say, living in a muggle orphanage all this time," Bellatrix pointed out.

"You forget that Dumbledore was coming by every week to tutor me," Draco said.

Bellatrix frowned.

"You did not know this part," he said, amused. Bellatrix said nothing. "Yes, well I suppose your source didn't have all the information then, did they? How _is_ Regulus, by the way?"

"You two have met?" said Bellatrix.

"Not exactly," said Draco. "Everyone in the castle knows me as the second Black to be sorted into Gryffindor… _and_ the new kid… _and_ Dumbledore's so-called prodigal adoptive son. I'm not exactly invisible here."

"Of course," said Bellatrix. She paused. "What are your views on wizarding blood, Draco?"

This time, Draco frowned.

"Where is this coming from?" he asked, feeling mild panic slowly rising up inside of him.

"Curiosity, I suppose," said Bellatrix.

There was a moment of silence as the two stared into each other's eyes, each trying to find hidden meaning in the other's. Draco thought he heard some movement at the back of the class and his suspicions were instantly confirmed. Sirius had managed to find a way into the classroom and was concealing himself from view now…probably some sort of charm that the students were taught in this generation. And if Sirius was there, there was no way that Potter wasn't. Remus probably would've tried to stop them so there was no way he was there. And Wormtail was not a factor. Draco felt his eyes shifting again and immediately refocused on Bellatrix, who was still waiting for an answer.

"Well my house founder was popular for his belief in the equality of all wizards, regardless of their blood status," Draco observed.

"And what is _your_ belief?" said Bellatrix, impatiently.

Draco hesitated. A part of him had been expecting such a question, but he'd had no time at all to prepare for it. He looked around the empty classroom, hoping one of the boys would show themselves and save him from this moment. He'd even go to a stupid detention now if he could just buy himself more time to invent a really, really good lie. He could either feed Bellatrix the information she wanted to hear and lose the boys' trust completely, or he could say what he thought they'd want to hear and get a psychotic reaction from dear Aunty Bellatrix. Where was Dumbledore when you needed him?

"So far," Draco finally said, meeting Bellatrix' eyes again, "My experiences with muggle-borns have been…less than welcoming." He paused as Bellatrix considered this. "Take from that what you will."

And then, he felt it. It had of course been expected but she'd still caught him off guard. He could feel her presence intruding in his brain's walls and he concentrated hard on blocking her out, like she herself had taught him in what seemed like years ago. She was working hard—fighting her way into his mind, and he almost let her catch a glimpse of his first conversation with Dumbledore in this timeline…the one where he specifically explained that he was from the _future_. Panicked, Draco's own defenses kicked in and he shoved Bellatrix as further from his mind as he possibly could. She gasped. Draco stared at her innocently. She had not been expecting this, and he wished more than anything that he could just come right out and say it. "Hey Bella, thanks for teaching me occlumency many years from now. You were right—came quite in handy."

"Sixteen, are you?" she finally said.

"That's right," said Draco, taking a deep breath. "I could give you a copy of my birth certificate, should you require it, but I really don't see why I should."

"That won't be necessary," said Bellatrix, also taking a deep breath to calm herself from their little mind exercise just now.

"So is there anything else you wanted to ask me?" said Draco, simply. "You haven't even touched upon my super blond hair and how all you Blacks, clearly, don't resemble it."

"Funny you should say that," said Bellatrix, finally leaning back in her chair. "My sister is blonde. She's one of the only ones, though I believe some of our oldest ancestors were blond too."

"Ah," said Draco, nodding.

Bellatrix watched him for a few moments and then leaned forwards again.

"Well, I've spoken with many of my relatives prior to our meeting and it is quite possible that some of our ancestors had children we did not know about." Draco fought hard not to show his sigh of relief. His anxiety was slowly leaving him now and he was doing a very good job keeping casual about it, surprising even himself.

"I suppose you don't have much choice who you end up related to," he said. "You're just born with the parents that you're born."

"Yes well, despite our inability to locate _your_ parents," said Bellatrix, "It is quite possible that you are in fact who you say you are."

"I've no reason to lie," said Draco, simply.

Bellatrix smirked at him.

"Spoken like a true Slytherin," she said, and the moment she said it, Draco knew he had won her over.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

"I cannot _believe_ that _Bellatrix_ was the one who showed up!" said Sirius for the seventieth time that evening as he continued to pace around the empty common room. "My family is totally, completely, 100% _demented_ to have decided to send that blood-thirsty, murderous, sociopathic—"

"That's enough, Sirius," said Remus, calmly.

Sirius swore under his breath but continued to pace.

"You were bloody lucky she didn't eat you alive in there," Potter told Draco, who was sitting on the couch by the fireplace, right across from him and Remus. Wormtail was sitting on another couch, looking mighty worried. "I mean, she's bloody fine-looking and it's true that I would give that goddess anything—"

"Shut up, James!" Sirius shot at him, earning himself a Potter smirk.

"—but she's damn scary to be in the same room with," Potter concluded, after dodging a punch from Sirius.

"Bloody idiot, that Regulus is," Sirius muttered again, but Draco shook his head.

"I'd rather it was her than anyone else of your relatives," he blurted out, and then felt himself redden completely.

"Why's that?" Potter grinned. "You found her mighty fine too?"

"Shut up, James," Sirius repeated, his eyes now on Draco again. "Well, _did you?"_

"What?—no! Of course not!" exclaimed Draco, who was actually relieved that _this_ was the conclusion they'd jumped to, instead of the actual truth. "I just…once I sat down with her I realised that she was the type of person I could easily deal with."

"Oh," said Sirius, nodding and then continuing his pacing. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"You sure dealt with it in the right way," said Potter.

"Yeah," said Draco, suddenly getting to his feet and moving to the center of the room so that they could all see him. "Exactly how did you know that?"

"Know what?" said Potter.

"That I'd dealt with it in the right way," said Draco. Potter glanced at Sirius who stopped pacing again. "You two snuck into that room, didn't you?"

They exchanged another look and then both of them nodded.

"It's not like I didn't try to stop them," Remus muttered, but Draco found himself smirking.

"How in the ruddy hell did you manage to do it?" he asked them both.

Potter looked suddenly proud of himself and removed a large cloak from his bag and tossed it at Draco.

"A gift from my father," he explained as Draco unfolded it and examined it.

"A cloak of invisibility," he finally said, putting two and two together.

"That's right," said Potter, looking proud of himself. "We had to get away with all our mischievous adventures here at Hogwarts somehow, didn't we?"

"Brilliant," said Draco, tossing it back to him. "I shall need to borrow that sometime," he added, jokingly.

"Oh you, my friend, will be using this quite a fair often in the near future," Potter promised.

Draco grinned at him, and then turned back to Sirius who had sunk into an armchair and was now staring at the fireplace.

"S-so," said Draco, slowly. "About what I said back in there…about wizarding blood…"

"Relax," said Potter, waving his hand dismissively. "We get it—you were just trying to save your arse against that sociopath."

"Yeah," said Draco, nervously. "Yeah, I was."

"You did good," said Potter. "So good, that I'm actually impressed, I'll tell you that. Right, Sirius?"

But Sirius only nodded, his eyes still on the fireplace. Draco felt bad for him, he really did. He knew exactly what it was like to belong to a family who were so obsessed with something he was not sure he wanted to be a part of.

"Relax," he told him, moving to sit nearby. "It was fine. Look, you guys eavesdropped on the whole thing, didn't you? I didn't say anything that would get me into trouble with your—uh I mean, _our_ family. If anything, I think I won her over…Bellatrix."

"Right," scoffed Sirius. "Look Draco, I don't mean to be rude, but I have known her a lot longer than you have, and she has always been my least favourite cousin. If it looks like you've won her over, believe me, it is ten times worse than it seems."

"So what if it is?" said Draco, and Sirius turned to look at him incredulously. "It's not like I don't have you, right? And Regulus…"

"Yeah, why don't you go ahead and ask him to protect you?" Sirius muttered. "I'm sure that slimy git will risk his life just for you."

There was silence. And then…

"Alright," said Remus, sitting up and motioning for everyone to look at him. "The important thing that came from tonight is that Draco got through his interrogation with Bellatrix and…I suppose it is safe to say that he is an official, accepted member of your family, Sirius. The other important thing that came from tonight is that neither of you," he looked from Sirius to Potter, "got caught."

Potter grinned again.

"I'd like to have gotten caught by Bellatrix," he said, sighing.

"Shut up, James," Sirius muttered, his grey eyes on the fireplace still.

"Let's just call it a night," said Remus. "We can deal with all of this tomorrow. It's been a long day and it's too late to be up on a Friday night."

"It's too early to go to sleep on a Friday night," Potter contradicted.

Wormtail giggled.

"It's okay, Moony, go to bed, we understand," Sirius said, quietly.

Remus smiled at him gratefully and waved to the others as he retreated to bed.

"You too, Wormtail," Potter added.

Wormtail nodded and followed Remus up the marble staircase. Potter moved to sit on the couch near Draco, both of them facing Sirius who looked like he had finally calmed down a bit.

"So you've had this cloak for how long now?" Draco asked Potter.

"Oh since my first year at Hogwarts," said Potter, dismissively. "My father's said that it's been passed down in our family for generations. And one day, I'll have a son of my own and pass it down to him so he could get up to mischief here as well…got to live up to the family name, know what I mean?"

 _Believe me, I do,_ thought Draco.

"Say," said Potter, suddenly diving for his bag. "Bellatrix didn't happen to mention to you how she got into the school, did she?"

"N-no," said Draco, slowly, "But I imagine she used one of those…you know, tall things…called _doors_."

"Ha-ha," said Potter, finally taking out a bit of old parchment from his bag and pulling his wand out. He placed its tip on the parchment and muttered _"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_." The blank parchment that Draco had perceived to be just some old rubbish now began to materialise lines and dots and letters all throughout. Potter grinned at him and unfolded this large piece of parchment on the coffee table in front of him. Draco immediately leapt off the couch and sat next to him to observe.

"What the hell…?" he began, but Potter shushed him and directed his wand at some of the writing as he frowned at it under the candlelight on the coffee table.

"That's…" said Draco, examining what looked like a very large map. "That's Hogwarts!"

"Better be," Potter muttered into the map. "Hmm…she might've used this passageway right here."

"Where did you get this?" Draco muttered, but Potter ignored him.

"What d'you reckon, Sirius? D'you think she knows about the southeast passageway to the Entrance Hall?"

"Dunno," said Sirius, dully. "With dear Bellatrix, you never know, do you?"

"I'll take that as a 'no'," said Potter, looking back down at his map.

"It's really unique," Draco continued, his eyes still on the map too. "Whoever you nicked this from is probably really high up here…like…like Dumbledore."

"Relax, we didn't nick it from Dumbledore," said Potter, lazily. "We made it, you big git."

"You _made_ it?!" cried Draco, ignoring the 'git' comment.

"We had to do _something_ all these years, didn't we?" Potter defended. "I mean…imagine just going to class every day and doing homework every night…what kind of a life is that?"

"A student's life," said Draco, though he definitely agreed with Potter's statement. It was no life at all.

"So this is what you're always talking about then," said Draco, finally understanding. "When you say 'the map', you mean…"

"Meet the Marauder's Map," said Potter, holding up the parchment proudly.

"Marauders," Draco repeated. "Right. Well, you guys sure know how to keep a man out of the loop."

"Sorry," said Potter. "But you know…you can never be too careful. We didn't know if you would run off and tell on us like that slimy Snivellus in Slytherin."

Draco felt a lump in his throat at the sound of these words but chose to ignore it for the time being. Tonight was definitely not the night for talking up Severus Snape.

"So what's changed?" Draco resorted to asking.

Potter looked up at him from the map, thought for a minute, and then smirked.

"You went up against the beast," he said. "I think you're good."

Draco grinned at him.

"So why can't Bellatrix have just used a door then?" he wondered.

Potter let out a laugh and shook his head.

"Oh Draco," he said. "You're so naïve. Parents and other relatives can't just wander into the castle and talk to their kids. They need to first go through the headmaster, you know, for security measures and everything. So that's why we think she must've used one of our three secret passageways on the first floor. The question is, which one was it and how does she know about it?"

"So you just sneak around the castle in that cloak," said Draco, his eyes still on the map, "And then you find secret passageways and then you record them on here."

"That's right," said Potter, gleefully. "It's still a work in progress, as you can see. We've still yet to unveil any passageways on the seventh floor, isn't that right, Sirius? What—hey, you okay?"

Draco turned to look at Sirius. He was still in his chair, but his face looked completely broken.

"Fine," he croaked.

"Don't worry too much about it, Padfoot," said Potter. "Seriously, you'll give yourself a heart attack."

"You wouldn't understand, James," Sirius muttered. Potter raised his eyebrows and Sirius sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I just get really rattled up when it comes to my sickeningly perfect family."

"Yeah, I know," said Potter, dismissively.

"They act like to be a Black is to be practically royal," said Sirius.

"It technically is," said Potter jokingly, and Sirius shot him a dirty look.

"I meant what I said back there, by the way," Draco said. "You can't pick where you're born into."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh and sighed again.

"You know what," said Potter, leaning forwards and looking at Sirius.

"What?" said Sirius without meeting his eyes.

"Let's plan a good prank this weekend," he said.

Sirius looked up at him, amazed. Potter looked round at Draco and gave him a warning look. Draco quickly jumped.

"Oh, yeah for sure," he said, looking round at Sirius. "Yeah, count me in. Big prank. This weekend. Right."

"Thanks guys," said Sirius, finally sitting up. "It's just the pick-me-up that I need."

"Whatever works for you," said Draco, and Potter actually punched him playfully (and quite painfully too—he'd have to get back into shape soon) on the shoulder.

So all in all, a good welcoming to the family, thought Draco, as he followed the two up to the dormitory about a half hour later, for what looked to be a very promising weekend.

* * *

 **Anyone excited for Draco's first Saturday night "lesson" with Dumbledore?**


	7. Remedy

**_Author's note:_ _Have a great week everyone!_ **

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 7: REMEDY 

The first thing that Draco heard when he awoke the next morning was a very dramatic yawn coming from Sirius' bed. He rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly, squinting at the midday sun peeking in through the windows.

"What time is it?" Draco mumbled.

"Just after eleven," said Potter, also yawning.

Wormtail suddenly scrambled out of bed and dived for the bathroom, only to be stopped by Sirius, who got there first. He smirked at the kid and then shut the door in his face. Wormtail groaned and sat back down on his bed.

"Just go use the general one downstairs," Remus suggested sweetly.

Draco started. Remus was standing at the door, fully clothed and with a book under his arm. He looked around at Draco and Potter and smiled.

"Hello there," he said, brightly. "It's about time you lot got up."

"Ugh," said Potter, also scrambling out of bed. "You've really got to stop getting up so early, mate."

Remus only shrugged.

"Yeah it's Saturday for Pete's sake," said Sirius, coming out of the bathroom now.

Wormtail ran inside.

The boys took their time getting ready, all of them quite sleepy. Then, Remus led them down the stairs to the completely deserted common room.

"Where is everyone?" Draco wondered.

"Up for a really long time already," said Remus, dismissively.

The boys climbed out of the portrait hole together and began to descend the stone steps. Potter and Sirius almost instantly got out their Quidditch team list and began making some alterations as they walked in the front, while Draco followed just behind them with Remus and Wormtail on either side of him. They reached the Great Hall to find just a couple of students sitting there. Everyone else had already gone off to do their usual Saturday activities. None of the teachers were there either, and no one from Slytherin.

Draco was quiet for most of the morning, until Potter and Sirius shot a question at him as they finished up their juice.

"You coming?" said Potter.

"Where to?" said Draco.

"To interview the Gryffindors, weren't you listening?" said Potter.

"I…" said Draco, but Sirius held up the list.

"We're interviewing the people who signed up to see who we want to come to the tryout," he explained. "Too many people signed up and we don't have the time to have them all tryout so only a few will make the cut."

"Yeah and we want you to be there," said Potter.

"You want to interview me?" said Draco, slowly.

"What?—no of course not! You've already made the cut, don't be stupid. But we want you there to interview with us. You've got that…intimidating thing going on and it'll help us to brush away those really desperate Gryffindors who can't take no for an answer."

"Oh, "said Draco, eating the last bite of waffle and pushing his plate away. "Right."

"So, will you come then?" said Sirius.

Draco looked sideways at Remus and Wormtail.

"Well what are you two up to then?"

"We're gonna go to the library," said Remus, predictably. "I'm tutoring Wormtail in Charms."

Draco looked back at Potter and Sirius.

"Y-yeah I think I'm gonna go with them," he said. "I have to get started on that Muggle Studies essay," he quickly added when he saw their looks of outrage.

The boys glanced at each other and then sighed.

"Fine," said Sirius, getting up. "But you've got no choice but to come to tryouts."

" _We're_ not taking no for an answer and don't go trying to intimidate us, Black," said Potter.

They high-fived each other and then disappeared from the hall before Draco could say a word. Draco sighed.

"Ready?" said Remus, also getting up.

"Yeah, let's go," he replied.

The library was filled with a few more students that day than it was on a regular weekday—most of these students being either fifth or seventh years. Remus led the boys to a table he claimed was always free, and they got their books out and sat down by the candlelight. For the first half-hour, Draco actually concentrated on the essay that he had to write and got a fair bit of it done, while Remus tutored Wormtail in the theories that they'd been studying in Charms that week. Afterwards, Draco grew very tired of all the information that he was supposed to be gathering. He sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes to keep in focus. Remus turned to him.

"Tired?"

"Yeah," said Draco. He suddenly sat back up and grabbed his quill again. "But I'm f-fine."

"It's okay if you want to take a break you know," said Remus, politely, but Draco quickly shook his head.

He was supposed to have been raised by Dumbledore so he couldn't go showing himself getting tired of a little homework. It didn't look good.

An hour later, Wormtail had not gotten anywhere with the tutoring and Remus sighed tiredly and began to explain it to him all over again. Draco excused himself from the table to go and fetch a book that he needed for the essay research. He did however take extra time looking for the book, given that he was also looking for a person. And he knew perfectly well just where to find him.

Severus Snape was sitting in his little corner with the half-blood prince's book in his lap again and a quill scratching away. Draco hesitated before moving towards him, and then took a deep breath. He had to do this. He knew he had to.

"Hello," he said, standing just over Snape.

Snape slowly turned his head to look at him. He waited.

"I see you're writing in that book again," said Draco.

Snape quickly shut it but still said nothing. Draco silently kicked himself.

"Mind if we talk?"

"It's a free country," said Snape, coolly.

Again, Draco silently kicked himself. It was like he didn't know how to talk to Snape at all anymore! He sat next to him and crossed his legs. Snape waited.

"Look, I wanted to apologise about what happened in Potions yesterday," he began. Snape rolled his eyes. "I…I didn't mean to shine the light in our direction and…well, away from yours. I know that you're really into potions and you seem to really get it and if I made Slughorn focus more on our group rather than on yours—I mean on _you_ , then it was unintentional and I'm s—"

"How did you know to add peppermint?" said Snape.

"Uh what?" said Draco, who was sidetracked.

"How—did—you—know—to—add—peppermint?" Snape repeated more slowly. "It clearly wasn't on the recipe."

"Well how did _you_ know to add it?" Draco retaliated in a pathetic attempt to buy himself more time.

But Snape wasn't stupid.

"I asked you first," he said, waiting.

"I dunno, I read about it in some book. Your turn."

Snape raised his eyebrows at him.

"There is no book that tells you to add peppermint to the recipe."

Draco hesitated.

"Well then Dumbledore must've told me once that it would improve the potion," he mumbled. "Look, that's not the point. The point is that I—"

"—didn't want to take the light from me," said Snape. "Yeah, I heard you."

There was silence. And then, Snape got to his feet. Draco followed.

"Look Black, you seem like a nice kid and I'm sure you are. But you don't have to go apologising to me about this sort of stuff and if this is just your way of kissing up to me—"

"It's not!" said Draco, quickly. "Honestly, I'm just…sorry."

"Don't screw with me," said Snape, lowering his voice. "I know who you associate yourself with. I'm not an idiot. And I know James Potter very well and he's no idiot either."

"This has nothing to do with him," Draco quickly added. "I swear."

"Yeah whatever," said Snape. "The point is—you're in Gryffindor. And I'm in Slytherin. You may be a Black but you're not the right Black. We're not going to be braiding each other's hair anytime soon, so if that's what you're hoping for, you might want to go back to your little pack and ask them."

He turned to leave.

"Evans is wrong, you know," Draco blurted out in an attempt to stop Snape.

It worked. Snape froze instantly, turning to look at him.

"About what?" he said, quietly.

"About the way she treats you," said Draco. "Just because you call someone what they are doesn't mean you should be condemned for life."

Snape's jaw merely dropped at the sound of these words, but Draco did not stick around for the rest of his reaction. He nodded at him once and then left him to his thoughts, silently high-fiving himself that he may have just earned Snape's respect. At the very least, that is.

"Hey, did you find your book?" Remus asked once Draco sat back down at the table.

"Oh right," said Draco, jumping back up and returning to the aisles.

Remus frowned as he watched him go, but Draco didn't care. He had already accomplished a lot and the day was still young. He walked to one of the shelves he'd previously visited and began moving his finger along some of the book titles until he pulled out one that fit. He examined it for a few moments and was just about to return to the table with it when something caught his eye. A Gryffindor girl who looked to be about his age was standing in the same aisle and flipping through a large book in her hands. Draco moved a little sideways to get a better look at her and was most certainly not disappointed. Shorter though she was, the short black hair actually suited the shape of her face. He couldn't tell the colour of her eyes but she had a friendly-looking face. She also didn't look bad in the Hogwarts uniform, considering how horrible some of the girls in this place actually looked in it. And the girl did not seem to notice Draco watching her. He thought for a moment about going over there to talk to her, but then decided that it was probably not the best idea. He had so much work to do—so much to take care of—that he knew he shouldn't be thinking about stupid things like girls. But then she turned around, still lost in her book, and Draco's mouth dropped just a little. She looked _very_ approachable indeed. He knew that on any given day he probably wouldn't have even looked at her twice, but today was different for some reason. Maybe the tiredness from this week was affecting his taste in girls.

 _To hell with it,_ he thought, as his eyes examined her body. He tossed the book under his arm and walked right up to her. The girl looked up and jumped slightly on the spot.

"Oh h-hello," she said, shutting the book in her hands abruptly. "You're Draco, right?"

Draco titled his head just a bit and let out a small but super flirtatious smirk which made the girl in front of him blush just a little.

"You've heard of me," he said.

"Uh well y-yeah when you're the new kid in town and the second Black in history to be sorted into Gryffindor and a legendary pupil of Dumbledore's, you're kind of ridiculously famous," said the girl, who was blushing more fervently now.

Draco crossed his arms and leaned against the shelf next to her, the smirk never fading.

"Ridiculously," he repeated.

"I-I'm Alice," said the girl, pointing to herself. "You're friends with Potter and his lot, aren't you?"

"You sure know a lot about me, Alice."

"Well you're kind of hard to miss."

The moment the words escaped her lips, she looked like she regretted having said anything. She looked away quickly but Draco only chuckled. He intimidated her. He knew he did. And he was quite enjoying how nervous around him she was.

"S-so," she said, "W-what brings you to the library today, Draco?"

"My legs, normally," he said, shrugging.

Alice let out a nervous laugh and then gazed up into his eyes. She was alright-looking. Not a _goddess_ exactly, but definitely okay. She reminded him a lot of Pansy. Maybe it was just the short hair…

"W-well I suppose I should get back to my book," she said, after a moment's silence.

"Yeah," said Draco, unfolding his arms and moving from the shelf. "Don't let me keep you."

Alice smiled at him and then turned away. She stopped and then turned the other way, looking at Draco again before leaving. Draco laughed.

"What are you smiling about?" Remus asked once he finally returned to the table.

"Nothin'," said Draco, simply.

He opened the book he'd gotten and flipped through the pages carelessly, ignoring Remus who was still watching him suspiciously.

At about half past 1, the boys met up with Potter and Sirius outside the Great Hall and went in together for a late lunch. As Draco sat down, his eyes locked with that of Snape's across the hall. They nodded at each other and then returned to their respective groups. _Things were looking very good,_ thought Draco.

Potter and Sirius continued with their conversations about Quidditch as they ate, occasionally scratching off someone's name on their long list. They barely even acknowledged that the other boys were sitting there and eating with them, so Remus gave Wormtail his book again and instructed him to keep reading because apparently he was going to quiz him later that day. Wormtail did so, and Remus himself turned to face Draco.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, politely.

"Not much," said Draco, shrugging.

"Is that right?" said Remus, without looking at him. Draco frowned at him. "I've just noticed you meeting up with Snape quite a fair bit."

"How did you…?"

"You don't think I can see but I can," said Remus, smiling up at Draco. "It's okay. It's not a crime. I'm just wondering how you two know each other."

"We don't," said Draco, quickly. "We just…he helped me once with something for Potions and then I helped him and…"

"I see," said Remus, nodding. "That's fine, Draco, I'm not punishing you. I'm not James or Sirius."

Both of them looked in their direction and neither of the boys even noticed them. Draco nodded at Remus. He then looked up at him again, hesitating.

"Do you…" he began, "Um…I was just wondering if maybe you know why Snape is taking all these strange classes…um…Arithmancy and Muggle Studies and…"

"Aren't _you_ in Muggle Studies?" said Remus, smirking.

Draco smirked back at him.

"Yeah well someone's got to keep James in check."

Remus chuckled at this, but then his face grew serious again.

"Snape has chosen all the same classes that Lily Evans has this year," he said, quietly. Draco fully turned around in his seat so that he was facing him, his own face slightly worried. "You don't know this but he and Lily were best friends when they came to Hogwarts. They were inseparable for those first couple of years."

"What happened?"

"They had a lot of arguments over the years…first he didn't like that she was sorted into Gryffindor, then she didn't like some of the people he associated himself with in his own house…"

"Yeah, but what's it to her?" Draco interrupted.

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing, except that some of _his_ friends were harassing some of _her_ friends," he said. Draco nodded. "Anyway, things got a lot worse after their big fight last year when he…"

"Called her a mudblood," said Draco, simply.

"Yeah," said Remus, slowly.

"And now because of this she doesn't want to talk to him?" said Draco, his eyes falling on Lily who was sitting on the other end of the table and laughing with a group of girls.

Remus frowned at him.

"I mean, it just seems a bit selfish on her part, don't you think?" Draco added.

"We don't know the full extent of the story," said Remus.

Draco rolled his eyes but luckily, Remus did not see, for his own eyes were now on Lily too.

"I sometimes worry if it was because of me," he added after they'd left the Great Hall and began walking back to the common room, Potter and Sirius ahead of them (still talking about their list).

"What was?" said Draco.

Remus sighed.

"Lily and I became close friends in first year too. She…helped me out a lot…not just in school but other things…personal stuff. Anyway, I always knew that Snape wasn't very fond of me and I told Lily multiple times that it's okay and she doesn't have to help me if it will wreck her friendship with him. But she was very stubborn about it and kept telling me that no one besides her gets to decide whom she associates herself with."

 _Typical_ , thought Draco, but he didn't dare saying this out loud.

"And then it also didn't help that everyone at school knew I was best mates with James and Sirius and Peter."

"Why's that?" Draco wondered.

"Well," said Remus, lowering his voice more though it didn't matter because Potter and Sirius were too preoccupied to pay attention to them. "With Snape and James, it's always been this…this huge feud. And Sirius got sucked into it too because he and James…well they…they liked to make fun of Snape. Even though I personally think that he sometimes was asking for it, they oftentimes played practical jokes on him and tried to embarrass him in front of all our classmates."

"That's awful," said Draco.

"I've tried stopping them and sometimes I've been successful," said Remus. "I wouldn't ever tell them this but I really think they're sometimes out of line...even though Snape is no angel either. Anyway, it's always just been one of those things…you just don't like the person right from the day off and then as time passes, it just gets worse and worse."

"Been there," said Draco, his eyes on Potter and Sirius as they walked.

"Yeah?" said Remus.

"Yeah," said Draco. "Yeah, a long time ago…you know, at the orphanage…there were these…um bullies I guess…and they really liked to be the center of attention and everyone at the orphanage just couldn't stand them anymore."

"How many of them were there?" said Remus with concern.

"Three," said Draco, pausing. "Um…there was H-Harley, and Ronny, a-and…Harmony. Um, she was the girl and the other two were the boys. They really were prats."

"Yeah," said Remus, as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "You see? Bullies are everywhere. They always will be."

They climbed in through the portrait hole and followed Potter and Sirius to their usual spot by the fireplace. They were still occupied with their list so Draco and Remus collapsed on two of the armchairs by the window instead. Remus tossed a long piece of parchment to Wormtail, who quickly put his book away.

"You have forty minutes," Remus told him, sweetly.

"Thanks, Moony," said Wormtail with a nervous smile.

He retreated to a table somewhere in the corner and buried his head in his hands to concentrate.

"Does he always struggle with homework so much?" Draco wondered as he watched him for a bit.

"Not always," said Remus. "He's just like a little brother to all of us so we try to take care of him as best as we can…he's prone to being put in bad situations."

"Just try not to underestimate him," Draco blurted out.

Remus frowned at him.

"Who, Wormtail? Please!"

"I'm serious," said Draco, and he looked round at Remus to show it.

Remus' grin faded.

"H-has he said something to you?" he wondered.

"No, it's nothing like that," said Draco, who turned back to Wormtail in his little corner. "Just be careful. It's the quiet ones you've got to watch out for. That's just human nature."

After a few moments, he turned back to Remus, who nodded his understanding.

Feeling like he was swimming around the dangerous waters now, Draco excused himself from the common room, claiming that he had to go get another book from the library. The truth was, he was hoping to maybe bump into Snape again. Now that he knew the story of how Snape and Lily had become virtually enemies, he thought he might have better luck at talking to Snape and trying to get him to see that he, Draco, truly understands him. But aisle after aisle and shelf after shelf, Severus Snape was nowhere to be found, so unless he was in the Restricted Section (which was actually quite possible), it was safe to say that he was not in the library at the moment.

Draco had almost given up and was ready to leave when he suddenly spotted someone who was only slightly more interesting to him than Snape. Regulus Black was standing, for once, by himself in one of the aisles. He was flipping through a book and his little posse of protectors in sixth year were nowhere to be found. _Well bloody hell, the time has come at last_ , thought Draco. He immediately walked up to him, and Regulus immediately jumped at the sight of him. He put the book back and meant to walk away when Draco called, "Wait!" Regulus paused, slowly turning on the spot to face him.

"I was j-just looking for…"

"I don't care what you were looking for," said Draco, dismissively. "You're Regulus."

"Y-yeah," said Regulus. "Yeah, look I should be getting back before they—"

"Hold on!" said Draco, turning him towards him again. "Don't walk away from your older cousin like that."

Regulus looked up at him nervously, his fingers fidgeting with his sleeve.

"I'm assuming Bellatrix told you that I 'passed the test'?" Draco went on.

Regulus eyed him for a moment and then turned to leave again.

"I really should be getting back before they start wondering where I am," he said.

" _Wait!_ " Draco hissed desperately.

Regulus sighed and turned to face him again.

"Look," said Draco. "I know it's weird and all. I'm this strange kid who happens to be related to you and who you've never heard of…and I also get sorted into Gryffindor like your brother…that makes us the only two outcasts in the family." He paused but Regulus said nothing, so he continued. "But I'd really like to get to know _both_ of you."

Regulus looked around nervously. Draco followed his gaze.

"I-is something wrong?" he wondered.

Regulus looked at him again.

"I shouldn't be talking to you," he said in a low voice.

"Why not?" Draco demanded, in an even lower voice.

Regulus said nothing but only continued to stare at him. And then, as though he had been shot by something electric from behind, he quickly jumped on the spot and hurried out of the library. Draco stared after him. Well, if Snape had been a bit easier to turn around, this one was going to be quite a piece of work…

Draco returned to the common room with his book only to find that the boys were getting ready to go out.

"Where to?" Draco asked, tossing his book to the couch and following them.

"Just by the lake," said Potter, casually. "It's really nice out and we've been stuck inside all day."

"Yeah, interviewing all those people is _not_ easy, I'll tell you that," said Sirius, who looked about exhausted.

"Well, you two always excel at everything you put your minds to, so I'm sure it'll all be okay," said Remus.

"We know," said Potter and Sirius together.

Draco shook his head. They really were gits—the biggest he'd ever met. And he could totally and completely understand why Snape was so annoyed with them. Well, Sirius was loads better than Potter, but Draco could understand the affiliation with not talking to Sirius. If he was friends with Potter, then that automatically meant that he was not friends with Snape. That's just the way that it worked. Draco understood that. But for some strange reason he could not grasp just yet, it bothered him a great deal.

The boys stopped in the shade of a large tree on the edge of the lake, and threw themselves down on the grass. The light from the afternoon sun was dazzling on the smooth surface of the lake, on the bank of which a group of giggling second or third-year girls were sitting with shoes and socks off, cooling their feet in the water.

After a little while, Remus pulled out a book again and began reading. At the sight of it, both Sirius and Potter groaned.

"Do you _ever_ do anything other than _read_?" Potter said.

"Do you ever do anything other than talk about Quidditch?" Draco pointed out.

Potter stared at him, confused, while Remus let out a small laugh.

"He's got a point, James."

Potter said nothing. Draco rested his head on the trunk of the tree and let his eyes close. The sun, which was a blazing red now as it slowly began to set, felt very nice against the cool wind. It really was a shame that they'd spent the entire day indoors. Perhaps they'd find more time to get out tomorrow.

"So what's the latest on Ellen what's-her-face?" Potter asked after a long moment's silence.

"Who?" said Sirius, casually.

Draco opened his eyes.

"The girl you've been snogging all week," said Potter with a huge smirk on his face.

"Oh, _her,_ " said Sirius, lying back down on the grass. "She's good."

"You two, uh, going out?" Potter asked, keeping the tone casual but not being able to fully hide the interest.

"Nah," said Sirius. "It's all good fun but you know me. I don't date."

"How come?" said Draco.

"Too much work," said Sirius.

"What, remembering the name of a girl you snog?" said Potter.

"No," said Sirius, simply, "Trying to give up all the other girls I'd like to snog."

The boys all laughed, even Draco, who found that he was quite enjoying himself. Who knew that Sirius Black could be such a laugh?

"Of course, Lily Evans has always been mighty fine," said Sirius, even more casually.

Potter's smirk faded instantly.

"I might end up asking _her_ out sometime," Sirius added.

"I'd like to see you try," Potter hissed, even more darkly.

Remus and Wormtail were bawling with laughter now, but Draco was suddenly uninterested. Couldn't any of the Marauders—or however they liked to call themselves—see Lily Evans for who she really was? A completely unreasonable, stubborn, spoiled little selfish brat who was so unwilling to forgive _one_ man for one _little_ mistake!

"I do have a thing for redheads," Sirius continued.

"What—since when?" said Remus, who finally shut his book and turned around on the grass to face him.

"Since I suggested that I might try to get with his dear cousin Bellatrix," said Potter.

Now it was Sirius' turn to stop laughing.

"If you—"

"Alright, alright," Remus interrupted, still laughing. "Let's not get our wands all tied up in knots."

The boys fell silent but every once in a while, either Potter or Sirius hissed something at each other and Remus kept having to interfere to keep them in check. Meanwhile, Draco's eyes fell upon a group of girls who had just left the castle and were now walking along the shoreline—one of them was Alice.

"Say Remus," Draco whispered, tapping him on the shoulder. Remus turned around. "What do you know about that Alice girl over there? The short one."

"Alice?" said Remus, turning back around to look at her. "That's Alice Liddell. She's in seventh year."

" _Really_?" said Draco, his eyes still on her as she walked with her girlfriends.

"Yeah and she's also friends with Lily and Mary MacDonald and all of their group," Remus added. "I've talked to Alice a couple of times but I think James and Sirius know her better than I do."

"How come?" Draco wondered.

"Well because Alice Liddell and Frank Longbottom have sort of been a thing since any of us could remember…and they're friends with Frank so they've hung out with her a lot."

"She's seeing _Frank_?" Draco hissed, his eyes moving from Remus to Alice and back.

"Not right now she's not," Remus clarified. "They've had an on and off relationship since about fourth year, I reckon. I don't believe they are seeing each other at the moment."

"On and off?" Draco repeated.

"Yeah, it's just one of those things, you know? They fight and break up. Then they kiss and it's all 'we're back together now!'"

"I see," said Draco, whose eyes followed Alice's trail. They then grew wide right before Remus' face.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"What?—no, nothing. Everything's fine. Come on, it's nearly dinnertime."

Draco jumped to his feet with them and they slowly and lazily made their way back to the castle, while Draco tried to hide the inner battle that had erupted inside of him.

 _Neville Longbottom's forsaken mother! He had bumped into her in the library without even knowing it! He had flirted with her, thinking it could amount to something more and that maybe he'd get some fun out of it. Neville Longbottom's mother! THE SAME ALICE that was a part of ALICE AND FRANK LONGBOTTOM….those same two aurors that were captured and tortured with the Cruciatus curse by Crouch Junior and dear Aunty Bellatrix. THEY WERE THE EXACT SAME PEOPLE!_

"Everything alright?" Sirius asked, noticing Draco's silence the whole way back to the castle.

"Yeah, fine," Draco mumbled, his eyes still on the ground as he tried to understand how he could have missed it.

How _could_ he have been so _stupid_?!

"You're not still worrying about that Muggle Studies essay of yours, are you?" Sirius wondered. "Don't let that kind of rubbish get to you. It's only schoolwork."

"I…don't want to let Dumbledore down," Draco muttered.

"Yeah but still," said Sirius as they reached the front doors finally. "It's only school."

They were some of the first to arrive in the Great Hall which was almost completely empty, though it wasn't for long. Soon, the entire hall was filled with people and the buzz of their conversations as their plates and goblets clinked. The enchanted ceiling was full of bright stars and the candles floated just above. All the teachers were at the staff table, eating, and Draco noticed that even the Slytherins over at their table were up and alive, whereas they usually looked gloomy and sulky.

Suddenly, Potter turned around in his seat (after a particularly long conversation with some Gryffindor seventh-year) and nudged Draco on the elbow.

"How you doing?" he asked.

Draco stared at him, confused.

"Is that a trick question?"

"No," said Potter, grinning. "I'm just wondering—how are you doing? I mean, _really_."

" _Really_ , I'm doing fine," said Draco.

"Is there, uh, anything bothering you?"

"No," said Draco, slowly, now starting to wonder what Potter knew.

"Get all your homework done? That essay for Muggle Studies?"

"Yeah, everything's done," Draco mumbled. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Me? Fine! Perfect. Never been better."

Draco waited.

"Well," Potter said, after a few minutes. "I guess I was just thinking a lot about that conversation we'd overheard between you and Bellatrix last night…"

"You mean the conversation you eavesdropped on," Draco corrected, his eyes on his plate.

"Yeah, that's the one," said Potter, dismissively. "Anyway, you never did answer her question about your opinion on blood purity."

"And now you're asking me to answer it," Draco clarified.

Potter shrugged sheepishly but his grin was wide now.

"Wanna know what you think," he mumbled after waiting for Draco's response which never came.

Draco shrugged.

"I've never really thought about it before," he lied.

"Oh come on," said Potter. "You don't expect me to believe that, do you? It's _me_ , Draco. You can tell _me._ "

"And why exactly can't I expect you to believe that?" Draco wondered.

He wasn't sure where Potter was going with this but he was almost certain the boy knew something. At least Sirius and the others were too preoccupied with their own conversations to hear a word of this one. Draco really didn't fancy having to explain to more than one person.

"Well because you were raised in a muggle orphanage," Potter explained, "But also raised part-time by Albus bloody Dumbledore! I mean—that's no ordinary childhood, if you ask me."

"No," said Draco, slowly. "I suppose it's not."

"And then you were sorted into Gryffindor just like him, which means he probably had a very large influence on you," Potter continued. "But you're also the second Black to be sorted into Gryffindor which was never expected by anyone."

"Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor," said Draco. "Why's that not a big deal?"

"It _is_ ," Potter informed him. "But I've known him since day 1. He's always been rebellious and getting sorted into Gryffindor was his way of telling his demented family to go to hell. You, on the other hand…"

"So what are you really asking me here?" Draco asked, finally putting his knife and fork down and turning his body fully so that he was facing Potter entirely.

"I want to know where you truly stand on the whole blood purity thing."

"Well where do _you_?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"I mean, you're a pureblood, obviously…sorted into Gryffindor because of bravery or courage or whatever…but you love to make a big show of yourself, _obviously_ …you love adoration, which is not a bad thing but it's also not a good thing…and you spend your free time chasing after your fellow housemates for Quidditch things or oogling your eyes at the redhead muggle-born who obviously doesn't want anything to do with you—"

"How do you know she doesn't?" Potter demanded, the grin finally fading.

"See?" exclaimed Draco. "That's the only thing you care about!"

"Hey, that's not true!"

"I mean, I think it's just a little unfair for you to go attacking me for _my_ beliefs, when _you_ —"

"Hey, calm down, man! I wasn't attacking you for anything—it was a simple question. No need to get all nasty here!"

"Is everything alright?" Remus intervened, and both Draco and Potter finally realised that the other Marauders were watching them intently, and Sirius had his eyebrows raised.

"Wuzgoinon, mate?" he asked with his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

Draco looked from him to Remus to Wormtail and then to Potter, who was still glaring at him.

"Nothing," Draco, said, throwing down his napkin and getting up, "Everything is perfect."

"Why are you angry—hey, where you going?" Sirius said.

"Lesson with Dumbledore," Draco muttered.

"That's not for another hour," Sirius reminded him.

"Well then I've got to go and prepare for my lesson with Dumbledore," Draco shot back at him, and when none of the others said anything, he left the hall.

It took several flights of stairs and multiple winding corridors for his temper to finally cool. He stopped by his dormitory and tossed his tie into his trunk because it was getting all tight around neck. He spent the next half hour or so pacing around the dormitory, until he finally started to hear students downstairs. Making sure that his trunk was securely locked under his bed—given that Potter was so nosey he'd probably go looking through it while Draco was gone—he left the dormitory and hurried down the stairs before any of the boys could see him. He left the common room and Gryffindor Tower altogether and spent the next little while trying to kill time by wandering around various corridors and passing by random ghosts.

Finally, after what felt like several lifetimes later, it was time to make his way to Dumbledore's office. Suddenly, Draco was not feeling nervous about this meeting at all. If anything, he was looking forward to it. He was feeling very pumped and energetic and ready to get down to serious business at last—none of this stupid teenage drama anymore…but _real_ life issues from now on.

"Come in," said the voice from within after Draco's three knocks.

Draco pushed open the large oak door and his eyes instantly found Dumbledore, who was sitting behind his desk in the slightly dimmed office. His fiery red bird was sitting perched up on the window sill, and it turned its head upon Draco's entrance. All the portraits of the previous headmasters and headmistresses were eyeing him with fascination.

"Draco," said Dumbledore, who put down his silver goblet and smiled brightly at him. "You're right on time."

"Alright," said Draco, closing the door behind him and putting his hands in his pockets. He looked at Dumbledore, sighing. "Let's do this."

* * *

"Is everything alright, Draco?"

"It's fine."

"You look like you have something on your mind."

"Of course I have a lot on my mind—I have nearly 17 years' worth on my mind."

"I see…well would you please feel more comfortable sitting down instead of pacing my office again?"

Draco stopped.

"No," he said, waving his hands in the air. "I don't want to sit! I feel agitated, okay? And when I'm agitated, I pace."

"So dramatic!" said one of the portraits on the walls.

Draco ignored it.

"Why don't we start at the beginning?" Dumbledore said, ignoring it too.

Draco stopped pacing again and looked at Dumbledore expectedly.

"You really mean that?" he said. "You're going to let me tell you things about the future?"

"Uh," said Dumbledore, "Well, what I meant is…tell me about this week and everything that's happened and your opinions on—"

"Got it," said Draco, and he threw himself into the chair across from Dumbledore and buried his face in his hands. "Where to start, let's see…I was sorted into Gryffindor. I'm running around the castle with my greatest school nemesis' father and his lot, who by the way _love_ being the center of attention… I—"

"Does that bother you?" Dumbledore interrupted.

Draco sat up.

"Does what bother me?"

"That they love being the center of attention?"

"I…well I dunno…it did at first but not so much now," Draco mumbled. "But that's not the point. The point is, every day I have to remind myself that they are not just my former classmates' parents and my parents' school rivals. They are my new classmates and I have to treat them that way."

"And thus forget all the backstory you know," said Dumbledore, nodding. "That does sound like quite a load."

 _I'd like to see you try it_ , Draco thought.

"Anyway," he said, resuming his pacing around the circular office. "I think I earned most of their trust, though that Potter bloke is a bit harder than the rest."

"And why is that?" said Dumbledore, politely.

"Because he's the alpha of their little pack," Draco explained, dismissively. "It doesn't matter though, I've got him under control."

"Uh Draco, exactly what do you mean by that?"

Draco sighed.

"Look, before I came here tonight we…me and Potter…sort of got into a bit of an argument. He's been looking at me all funny this whole week and then he up and asked what my views on blood purity are."

"And because you were born and raised in a Slytherin family…" said Dumbledore.

"I had to lie to him of course," said Draco. "But I might've…you know, gotten a bit defensive… a-and verbally attacked him."

"Ah," said Dumbledore. "Well, I suppose he'll forgive you once you apologise to him."

"Apologise?" said Draco, stopping the pacing. "No. No, I am not apologising to _him_ , are you kidding me?"

"If you want to play the part well, you will," Dumbledore mumbled. Draco opened his mouth to say something but again, Dumbledore interrupted. "But more on that later. Please, continue."

Draco hesitated, but resumed his pacing nonetheless.

"And then I stormed out and now I'm going to have to explain it all later to him and to Sirius and Remus."

Dumbledore smiled and Draco stopped pacing again.

"What?" said Draco, irritably. "What is so funny?!"

"Not funny, but amusing," said Dumbledore. "You're trying so hard to hate these boys but the look on your face now clearly shows how very fond of them you've grown over this past week—don't shake your head, I know what I see. And it doesn't make you a bad person to want to be their friend, Draco. It just means that you are starting to understand people who are different from you."

Draco did not remember taking a seat at Dumbledore's desk again but a few minutes later, there he was, sitting and wondering as the impact of these words seeped into his brain. Dumbledore smiled again.

"Please continue," he said.

Draco nodded.

He did not speak right away, but tilted his head to look at the window where the starry sky was blinking at him. He could tell Dumbledore about the map and the cloak and all the practical jokes…that was true. But did he really want to?

"W-well I suppose I've told you the highlights," he mumbled after a few moments. "I'm just trying to be their friend and keep up with schoolwork and remember all the right answers to all questions about my past and try to convince the boys to tell me about Remus."

"About his condition," Dumbledore clarified. "The boys are prepared to tell you about it?"

"No," said Draco, quickly. "They are really trying hard to keep it from me and I think it's because Remus asked them to."

"But you want them to tell you."

"It'd make things easier, yes," said Draco. "Look, I already know about it. I've seen his grown-up version and how Snape had to always cover his classes in our third year when he was too—well, whatever he was—to teach. It's really hard to face him every single day and see how he struggles to keep this secret from me but has no idea that I already know and I have to pretend that I know nothing."

"I see," said Dumbledore. "Moving on then—as I understand it, James Potter is Quidditch Captain for the Gryffindors this year. Has he, uh, expressed any interest…?"

"Yeah," Draco muttered. "Yeah, for sure. But I'm not going to play."

"And why not?"

"Well because I think I have more important things on my agenda, don't you?"

Dumbledore smiled again.

"It doesn't mean you can't have a bit of fun in this timeline too," he said.

There was a long pause.

"Why won't you let me tell you anything?" Draco demanded for about the hundredth time since he'd arrived in 1976.

But Dumbledore's patience did not falter at the question.

"It is not the best idea for me to know everything that happened by your timeline."

"I won't tell you _everything_ ," Draco interfered. "But just the important stuff! Come on, professor, I really want to! You've no idea how tempting it is!"

"Believe me, I do," said Dumbledore. "And I trust you completely, but now it is time for _you_ to trust _me_ when I tell you that it is still not time for me to know everything."

"But—"

"One day soon, Draco. I promise. Now, let us move on. Is it safe to assume that you've neglected your former house completely?"

"No," said Draco at once. "Absolutely not."

He could never. Slytherin had been his home for so long. He couldn't just forget it completely.

"Do explain," said Dumbledore, who sat up in his chair and crossed his hands on the desk, fully alert.

"I've reached out to some Slytherins," he began. "Severus Snape was one of my teachers at Hogwarts too. Actually, he was my favourite teacher."

"Because he was your head of house too," Dumbledore added.

Draco nodded.

"He was also a friend of the family's and I saw him a lot around the house when I was a kid," he continued. "Anyway, I met him this week…his t-teenage form."

"And?"

"And…he's completely different from what I remember…uh, from what he will become."

"In what ways?"

"Snape the adult is far more detached, isolated and depressed than teenage Snape." Draco paused. "But it looks like the two are soon to merge, at the rate of how things are going."

"And how do you mean?" said Dumbledore, patiently.

"Well there's this girl called Lily Evans who is in Gryffindor and apparently she and Snape came to Hogwarts together but separated because of their different houses and they had lots of fights and one day he accidentally called her a mudblood and now she still won't talk to him even though Remus Lupin told me that this happened last year and she should get over herself now and why am I telling you all this? Can you honestly say to me that all this nonsensical teenage drama actually interests you?"

Dumbledore's smile widened.

"You are telling this to me for you," he said, simply. "Oh and please do address me properly. I am still your headmaster, after all. Please, go on."

Draco hesitated, but did as he was told.

"Anyway, I've tried sort of…finding out what I could…you know, I feel bad for the guy. He's really…he feels terrible about it and she just won't talk to him, the stubborn little—uh, sorry." Dumbledore's raised eyebrows faltered and Draco cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway, it's still a work of progress but I'm not giving up."

"That's good to hear," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Though try and make sure you do not meddle too much."

"Oh I plan to meddle plenty," said Draco. "There's no question of it."

"Alright," said Dumbledore. "It is your choice. Uh, I do wonder…how Snape reacted when you started defending him? As I understand it, he and your new friends from Gryffindor haven't really gotten along these last couple of years."

"Y-yeah," said Draco. "Yeah well that does present a challenge…but they don't have to know everything that I do. The day they start planning their little adventures in the library will be the day I'll really have to worry, but until then, no problem. As for Snape…well, he does seem a bit confused because I'm just this strange kid who is suddenly seeing things his way, and from what I've gathered, not many people here do. But like I said…it's a work in progress."

"Very well," said Dumbledore. "As you probably know, I am of course delighted that you have made friends, one of them being a relative…but what I really want to know is whether you have had any interactions with the other Black."

"Regulus," said Draco, nodding. "Yeah well…some. Not a lot. We've talked here and there. Made eye contact. The kid knows I exist but he seems dead terrified to approach me…and even more intent on finding out everything he can about me. Did I tell you I got my Black Family Interrogation this week? Yeah. And you'll never guess who was in charge of it."

"Bellatrix Black," said Dumbledore, simply.

Draco started.

"Okay that's brilliant," he said, his eyes wide. "How on earth did you know that?"

"You don't think I know what goes on in my school?" said Dumbledore, his eyebrows raised. "I may be old and I may love sitting up here in my office, surrounded by piles of dust-gathering books all day long, but I do know a thing or two about what goes on in the castle."

"Oh," said Draco in a small voice.

"And how did the interrogation go?" asked Dumbledore.

"There are no words to describe it," said Draco, truthfully.

"What kinds of questions did Bellatrix ask you?"

"The kinds that were completely expected," said Draco. Dumbledore waited. "She wanted to know my entire cover story basically. She wanted to know exactly how I came into the wizarding world and how many times you supposedly visited me at the orphanage and why I've only come to Hogwarts now and not at eleven."

"And what did you tell her when she asked you about coming to Hogwarts?"

"I told her to ask you if she really wanted to know," said Draco, simply.

Dumbledore smiled faintly.

"You're welcome," Draco added. "Anyway, the questions got a bit weird after that. She wanted to know what the Sorting Hat told me and what I gathered from it."

"She was trying to determine whether you'd been rightfully sorted," Dumbledore clarified.

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "But I think that some of my responses might have…steered her in the right direction. I dunno but it's safe to say that she thinks the Sorting Hat just got confused and that I truly belong in Slytherin, just like the rest of her family."

"I don't think that's true," said Dumbledore, quietly, "That you belong in Slytherin just like all the Blacks, I mean. Look at Sirius, for example."

"I know," said Draco, quickly. "Believe me, I know. But it's safe for her to assume so. It's better that they like me than hate me."

"Very true," said Dumbledore, nodding. "It'll also give you an in with Regulus."

At this, Draco frowned.

"How do you mean?"

"Think about it," said Dumbledore, simply. And then, he stood up from the desk and walked over to the window. Draco watched him. "If you are accepted by the family, naturally you will be invited back to their home on holidays. It will provide you with plenty of opportunities to connect with Regulus."

"And why do you want me to connect with him so much?" Draco asked, suspiciously.

Dumbledore turned to face him.

"I worry about him," he said. "Truth be told, I worry about many of the Slytherins. They come from families who have a history with the Dark Lord. We are in the middle of a national war now, Draco, and every day that I sit in my Great Hall, I look out upon the Slytherins and wonder which of them is next. It is very clear that the Black boy has succumbed to the pressures that his family sets upon him. Unlike his brother who has taken the road much less travelled, Regulus has decided to take the easy path. I worry that if someone does not steer him back, he won't ever find his way himself."

"He won't," Draco said after a few moments.

Dumbledore looked at him.

"He goes on to become the youngest Death Eater that the Dark Lord ever recruited. I've always been mortified to hear the story and Aunt Bellatrix told me that the whole family sees him as some sort of hero—"

"Stop," said Dumbledore, at once. "I do not wish to know these facts, Draco. I have already told you that."

"Sorry," Draco mumbled.

There was silence.

"Go on," said Dumbledore, turning back to the window.

"Go on with what? I've told you everything," said Draco. "I answered all of Bellatrix's questions as best as I could and she seemed to like me in the end. It's safe to assume that I've become an official member of the family. I've just got to keep my act and make them believe that I've been misplaced and I'll be good to go. Well, do that _and_ make sure that Sirius doesn't suspect me to be just another typical Black."

"He won't," said Dumbledore, reassuringly. "Sirius Black is far cleverer than that."

Draco nodded.

There was another short silence and Dumbledore moved away from the window and went to stand near one of the hundreds of bookcases in his circular office.

"It must've been strange for you to be interrogated by someone who you've known your whole life, and who thinks you've only met them just now."

"I haven't known her my whole life," Draco corrected. Dumbledore frowned at him. "Well, if you let me tell you things, you'd know that Bellatrix spent a lot of time in Azkaban and only got out when I was in my fifth year—"

"Is there, uh, anything else you wish to tell me about this week?" Dumbledore asked, looking somewhat disturbed.

Draco thought. Nothing besides the panic attack from Thursday came to mind. And he wasn't about to tell Dumbledore that. To tell Dumbledore would mean having to show him what was left of the mark under his sleeve, which would then mean having to explain everything that Draco had to do to get to that point on the Astronomy Tower with "future" Dumbledore on that horrific June night. And Draco had been plenty satisfied with just explaining to _this_ Dumbledore that that was the point they'd gotten to. How they'd gotten there was not necessary to explain just yet.

"Nope," he answered.

Dumbledore frowned at him from behind his half-moon spectacles and Draco put on the most innocent-like face he could muster and stared right back at him.

"Very well then," said Dumbledore. "Now that we have discussed all the important things, it is time for us to get on with the lesson."

"Wait, we're actually going to learn something?"

"Yes, I think we are going to learn a lot this year," said Dumbledore, moving back to his desk and taking a seat. "And the lesson that I have planned for today is one you'll be quite interested in, I am sure. But first, I want to tell you that I think you are doing a marvelous job. You give yourself far too little credit, Draco. What you have been through is definitely traumatic but you have mustered up your courage to overcome it and put on a face despite everything you know that has happened. You should be proud of that."

"Yeah, I'm ecstatic," Draco muttered.

Dumbledore ignored him.

"Today's lesson will be the first of a series of similar lessons," he began. "I want to teach you how to perform the Patronus Charm, if ever you find yourself in the need to perform it. Today, I will be explaining the basics of this charm to you. Are you familiar with it at all?"

"No," said Draco.

"No, _sir_ , Draco," said Dumbledore. "If you are going to play the part of a student in my school, you'd better do a better job at convincing me."

"No, sir," Draco repeated, in a sort of grumble.

Dumbledore however seemed satisfied.

"The Patronus Charm is the most famous and one of the most powerful defensive charms known to wizardkind…at least for now," he gave Draco a small smile before continuing. "However, it is an immensely complicated and very difficult spell that evokes a partially-tangible positive energy force that can be used to protect you from a variety of opponents, dementors and lethifolds alike."

"What are lethifolds?" Draco interrupted, having never heard the term before.

"They are highly dangerous carnivorous creatures who are known to be very aggressive and of a violent nature in general." Draco nodded. "As I was saying, the Patronus Charm can shield you from such monstrous creatures, but only if it is cast powerfully enough. How to cast it powerfully, you ask? Well, the first step is to repeat the incantation _Expecto Patronum_."

"Expecto Patronum," Draco repeated, quietly.

"Very good," said Dumbledore. "But saying the incantation alone is not enough. It is only part of the incredibly complex process. The vast majority of witches and wizards are unable to produce any form of Patronus."

"What does the Patronus look like?" Draco wondered.

"Well, each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it," Dumbledore explained. "An incorporeal Patronus is one which does not resemble any living creature and has few distinguishing features—it looks much like a burst of vapour or smoke without any clearly defined form. A full-bodied or fully-fledged Patronus—that which takes the form of an animal—is of course more powerfully effective, but shield forms can also protect you from a wide range of opponents."

"An animal," Draco repeated. "As in an _animal_ animal?"

"As in an animal," said Dumbledore, smiling. "And for every witch or wizard, that animal will be different and will reflect their individual and unique personality."

"So the animal will be the same every time you produce it," Draco said.

"I believe so," said Dumbledore.

"So how do you know which is your animal?"

"Ah, all in good time," said Dumbledore. "Now, I have told you what the Patronus Charm is and how and when it is used. I have told you the incantation required to produce it, but this is all still only half of the equation. You see, the most important and most crucial other half of the equation is the memory you choose to think of when casting the spell. One must muster the happiest memory they can think of and begin drawing circles with their wand so as to somewhat increase the power of their spell."

"A memory?" said Draco. "Will memories from other lifetimes count?"

Dumbledore smiled at him tersely before continuing.

"The happier the memory, the better the charm will work. You must say the incantation _Expecto Patronum_ whilst immersing yourself in this memory completely and thinking of nothing else."

"Okay, what's so hard about that?" Draco said, pulling his wand out and preparing to perform the spell.

Dumbledore raised his hand and indicated for Draco to lower his wand. He did so.

"It might sound easy to just think of the happiest moment in your life and say a simple spell, but to do this in the face of danger—when a dementor is only seconds away from distributing the fatal kiss to you…it is _very_ difficult to grasp onto a single happy memory when all happiness has been sucked from you."

Draco mouthed "oh" and put his wand away again.

"We are not going to be practicing the charm today," Dumbledore said. "We are only going to be focusing on the theoretical part of it for this lesson. Perhaps the next lesson we will begin training."

"Professor," said Draco, suddenly. "If the Patronus takes the animal form that best resembles your personality…that's personal, isn't it? So like…what, it's just there for everyone to see?"

"It _is_ possible to disguise the form of one's Patronus, Draco," said Dumbledore. He paused. "Are you worried your new friends will unveil your true personality?"

"Yes," said Draco almost automatically.

Dumbledore frowned at him, but said no more on the matter. They proceeded with the lesson for the rest of the hour and at around half past nine, Draco was ready to go back. Dumbledore ripped a sheet from a notebook on which he had scribbled a Headmaster's Note and handed it to Draco. He then stood from his desk and went around it to shake hands with him.

"It was a good first lesson," he said. "And I shall see you back here next Saturday at 8."

"Yes sir," said Draco, starting to head for the door.

"Do try to make things right with James Potter," Dumbledore advised him. "You can't blame your friends for things they don't know they will do in the future."

For some reason, Draco's mind suddenly wandered from Potter to Wormtail as Dumbledore said these words. He nodded. Dumbledore stopped at the center of the office and waved Draco off. Just before Draco reached the large oak door however, he stopped and spun on the spot.

"I almost forgot to tell you," he said, looking round at Dumbledore. "I told Bellatrix that I was brought up at Gallard's Home for Boys. It's a random name I came up with for a muggle orphanage. She said she'd check to make sure I was telling the truth."

Dumbledore sighed heavily.

"I know you have a lot on your agenda, believe me, I do, but could you please try to first run things by me before you complicated matters even more?"

"I'd like to see _you_ being interrogated by Bellatrix Black and not completely wetting yourself," Draco muttered.

He turned to leave.

"Technically, I have," Dumbledore mumbled back.

Draco turned to look at him with a frown but Dumbledore only smirked at him.

"Next time, do try to come up with less lies that I have to cover up for you."

"You shouldn't have made me a Black in the eyes of the wizarding world," said Draco, shrugging. "You'll make sure it's cleared?"

"I'll take care of it," said Dumbledore, reassuringly. "But I do mean it, Draco. Run your lies by me _before_ you tell them to others. It'll make things a whole lot easier."

"Goodnight then," said Draco.

He left.

Walking back to Gryffindor Tower, Draco found himself thinking a lot about the Patronus Charm and wondering what sort of form his would take. He wasn't exactly keen on extra lessons and trying to catch up so that it looked like he really had been raised by a legendary and prodigal wizard in history. But he was definitely relieved that Dumbledore was prepared to teach him the most fascinating of all things. It looked like these lessons weren't going to be a complete waste of his time after all. If anything, they were exactly the type of remedy that he needed at the moment—the type of distraction from all the chaos that would keep his sanity intact.

Just as Draco turned the corner and reached the Entrance Hall, he stopped dead. Professor Slughorn was walking towards him from the Slytherin dungeons, a grim look on his face.

"Draco Black!" he said, frowning.

"Professor," said Draco.

"You shouldn't be wandering the corridors at this time of night, Mr. Black, I trust you know that," said Slughorn once he finally reached Draco.

"I was with Professor Dumbledore, sir," said Draco, holding out the letter that Dumbledore had written for him.

"Oh," said Slughorn, taking it and examining it. "Oh very well then. I wasn't of course prepared to turn you in. After all, we scholars have to stand up for each other, am I right?"

"Yes sir," said Draco.

Slughorn smiled down at him.

"I so look forward to having you at my next club meeting."

"I look forward to it too, professor."

"Goodnight then! Get to your common room quickly!"

"Will do. Goodbye, sir."

Slughorn waited in the Entrance Hall and watched Draco disappear up the marble staircase before he descended down another corridor. The Fat Lady looked definitely displeased with Draco bothering her with the password, and she grumbled as she swung back and let him in. He crawled through the portrait hole and found a relatively quiet common room with only a few people here and there. Potter was the only one of the Marauders to be sitting by the fireplace. He glanced up at Draco, who was trying to decide what to do. Then, he turned to go up to the dormitory.

"Wait!" Potter called after him.

Draco stopped.

"Can we talk?"

Draco turned to look at him. He waved at everyone sitting in the common room and raised his eyebrows at Potter, wondering what he was prepared to do about it. Potter pursed his lips and then stood up on the coffee table and whistled loudly. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Could you all please call it a night? I'd like the space down here to have an important chat with someone."

Draco couldn't believe his ears. Had Potter actually just demanded something of his fellow housemates? Who did he think he was?!

"Yeah sure."

"No problem, mate!"

"Whatever you like, James."

Draco couldn't believe his eyes. Were their fellow housemates actually getting up from their spots and politely bidding Potter farewell as they retreated up or down the marble staircases to their dormitories?! Had they _completely_ lost their minds?!

"Wow," Draco said, once everyone had cleared out and it was just them two standing there together. "You say jump, they say how high."

Potter said nothing but jumped off the coffee table and took a seat on the couch by the fireplace.

"Where is everyone else?" Draco asked.

"Remus and Wormtail went up to the dormitory a while ago and Sirius is out."

"Out where?"

"Who knows?" said Potter, shrugging.

He looked up at him and motioned for him to sit down. Draco moved to the couch across from him and waited. For a long time, neither of them said anything. They just avoided each other's eyes and hoped for the other to say something. Then, Draco cleared his throat unexpectedly, and Potter looked up.

"I _am_ sorry for losing it back there," Draco mumbled.

And it hurt every part of his being to be actually saying these words. But nonetheless, he did so, as convincingly as he possibly could too. However Potter only nodded.

"I just don't like many interrogations," Draco continued. "I don't think it's really very fair that everyone gets to ask me questions but I don't get to ask them."

"You can ask them," Potter muttered.

"Yes but it doesn't mean I'll get the right answers," Draco pointed out. "People lie all the time."

Potter nodded. There was something different about him tonight. He looked very troubled about something—disgusted, even.

"Something on your mind?" Draco attempted.

Potter sighed heavily and looked into the fireplace, his face incredibly serious.

"You asked me before what my views are on blood purity," he began, his voice so low that Draco actually had to lean forwards to hear him better. "You know that I was brought up in a pureblood household. My parents were always gracious about others of our kind. They were never prejudiced about those of different blood." He paused. "But when I was about 8, there was an accident. My father was coming home from work and a group of muggle-borns and half-bloods suddenly targeted him out of nowhere. They dueled and it…didn't…end…well. One of them were critically injured and had to spend about a month at St. Mungo's. My father was brought before the high wizard court for the incident but he eventually got off because it all really was a misunderstanding. The point of the story though is that we were never prejudiced and we were still targeted _because_ we're pureblood. So you see, it's not just the muggle-borns that feel the discrimination. It's us too." He paused again and looked at Draco now. "I've always felt it, whenever I've walked this school's halls. People sometimes look at me as though they just expect me to come out and call someone a mud…well… that word." Draco nodded. "I hate being reduced to that level. I hate being thought of a monster…as someone who could even think about hurting another person with something as abusive as prejudice. I know I could never, and I know my parents could never. I just wish that this stereotype against old pureblooded families did not exist anymore. You know, you try to ignore it but…"

"It's still there," Draco mumbled.

"Yeah," said Potter, his eyes on the fireplace again. "Every day."

"So that's why you wanted to know where I stand on the whole issue," Draco said, comprehension dawning on him. "You wanted to know whether I expected it from you too."

Potter nodded.

"I didn't," Draco added quickly. "I still don't. I promise you, I've never even thought about it."

Potter looked at him.

"You haven't?"

"Not once," said Draco. "Honestly. I just…never knew that it was like this for you."

"Yeah well," said Potter, leaning back on the couch. "I'm very good at hiding it. I try not to show that it bothers me and it doesn't that much anymore…but when they think I don't see them whispering and wondering whether I'm a pureblood supremacist deep down, I do see them and I do hear them and I worry because I don't know how else to show that I'm not! I'm really, really not!"

"I had no idea," Draco repeated.

"As for Evans," said Potter, sighing. "It's nothing like that. It has nothing to do with my beliefs. I'm not just trying to get with her to prove to people that I have nothing against muggle-borns and that they shouldn't worry. I actually really like her. I think…I think I always have."

"Why?" Draco croaked.

Potter shrugged.

"I dunno," he said. "She's different, you know? She's…she's got a way of seeing the best in people—in all people."

 _Except for Snape_ , Draco thought.

"Even that Snape character she used to follow around," Potter added, as though having read Draco's mind just now. Draco frowned at him. "You know, when we were in first and second and even third year, those two were in—se—pa—ra—ble. They really were. And I think I started fancying her very early on. At first, we were always just teasing her—me and Sirius, you know. Just goofing off. But old Snivelly was someone I absolutely _detested_ from the moment I met him, and trust me, the feeling is mutual. I'm pretty sure he hates my guts just for being in the same house as his precious Lily."

"Anyway," Potter added when he saw that Draco was growing slightly impatient, "Our fights worsened as we grew older, but even so, Lily always somehow managed to find a way to defend him. I've always thought that was very strange and yet courageous of her. She isn't afraid of standing up to people. She isn't afraid of showing her true heart to others. She seems totally and completely fearless."

"Nobody is fearless," Draco reminded him, and Potter nodded.

"No, you're right. Of course not, but she _seems_ like it…and I dunno…it's just little things like that that I admire about her…her intelligence…her cleverness…the way she is always just willing to help people…it's no wonder she's a prefect; she was born for the job." He sighed. "She is like the perfect princess that I just can't have because she's already seen my ugly side."

"Is there no pretty side to show her?" Draco said, quietly.

"Believe me, I try," Potter said. He buried his face in his hands. "She's also been really close with Remus all these years, and part of me has always felt slightly jealous of what they have. They just…they just get each other, you know? They're always in agreement about everything and she's just _so_ nice to him!"

"I think it's more brotherly sisterly," Draco invented.

Potter considered this, but then shook his head.

"I've always thought it might be something more."

"It's not," Draco said, quickly. "Trust me, I can sense these things easily. You've nothing to worry about there."

Potter gave him a small smile and then buried his face in his hands again.

"It hurts," he mumbled. "More than you know. It…it just sucks."

Draco's mouth fell open slightly and he remained sitting there, unsure of what to say. He'd never seen this side of James Potter before. He'd never thought that James Potter even _had_ this side to him! And yet here he was, sitting right before him, looking more vulnerable than Snape had all week. An odd part of Draco wanted to go over there and comfort him, but he stopped himself quickly because Snape's face came to mind. Well this was bloody perfect. Both boys looked to be desperately in love with this girl and it didn't look like either of them were going to step down anytime soon.

Draco sighed. He'd thought that Potter only fancied Lily because of her appearance. The thought of his feelings being much deeper had never even occurred to him! So then how did Snape fit into all of this? Was he simply just obsessed with Lily? Did he fancy _her_ or knowing everything _about_ her? Remus had told him that he'd made his NEWT schedule out to be exactly like Lily's. He'd also mentioned at dinner sometime this week that Snape was slightly obsessed with knowing everything about Lily's life—who she associated herself with and why. That did seem a bit extreme. But was it love? This right here, what he was seeing before him—a desperate boy unmasking himself because he has grown completely helpless—was real love. He could tell. But he wasn't sure anymore whether what Snape was experiencing was real love…

…or _healthy_ , for that matter.

"Look," said Potter, finally collecting himself. "I…I'd prefer you didn't tell this to the others, alright? I haven't exactly shared this much with any of them before." He had his armour back on now. He sat up on the couch and wiped his face on his sleeve thoroughly. "Promise me."

"Don't worry," Draco assured him. "I can keep a secret."

 _Or a hundred,_ he wanted to add.

"Thanks, Draco. And I'm sorry again for all the interrogations. You can't blame a poor bloke for being curious."

"No," laughed Draco. "No, I don't blame you for being curious. I'd be curious too. I have to be the only sixth year in the history of this school to receive his sorting with a sea of munchkins."

"And the second Black to be sorted into Gryffindor House."

" _And_ the only wizard in history to be practically raised by the legendary Albus Dumbledore."

They both grinned now, their laughter only subsiding by the sound of the portrait swinging shut. Sirius had just climbed in through the hole and he made his way over to the couch and collapsed on it, putting his feet up on the table and his hands behind his head. The grin on his face was the broadest of broad.

"And where have _you_ been this evening?" Potter asked, smirking.

All signs of vulnerability that he might have shown a few moments ago were gone now, but Draco was feeling rather pleased with their conversation. Tonight, for the first time ever, he had seen a new side to James Potter—one that he highly doubted existed in Harry Potter. They really were two completely different human beings. Who knew?

"Come on, Sirius, tell us where you've been!" he added.

Sirius sighed happily.

"I've been off in heaven," he said.

"Still haven't gotten enough of Ellen what's-her-face then?" Draco said, smirking.

"Ellen?" said Sirius, frowning. "No, I saw her go off to Ravenclaw Tower right after dinner." He smiled again, his eyes on the ceiling now. "No. No, tonight I was with another goddess…no, an _angel_. Didi…uh something. Ah she was…exquisite, boys. Just…exquisite."

Both boys laughed. Hard. And Sirius' grin never faded, though he looked curious now.

"What?" he kept saying as they continued laughing. "What's so funny? Come on guys, what is it?"

They gathered themselves and wiped the tears from their eyes before Potter cleared his throat.

"Sirius, you're a—"

"—male whore," laughed Draco.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and do let us know what you think of Draco's relationship with Dumbledore so far!**

 **Special thanks to:**

 **Enticement ; your kind words made us smile and we hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 **Sarah ; really happy to be able to create those images for you! Hope you continue to enjoy**

 **NatIcole and  Watter213; Reg and Sirius are so complex a matter that Sirius himself refuses to discuss the situation even with his closest friends **

**Ssamusseamus ; Mulciber is quite an extraordinary creature **

**Lama ; would never dream of giving up on a story before it's finished! Though, reviews will speed up the updates as they do give motivation ;) **


	8. Choose

**Author's Note : Have a wonderful rest of the week, everyone! Too bad about that website crash, otherwise this would've been updated sooner ;) **

**Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling**

* * *

CHAPTER 8: CHOOSE

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later_

* * *

"I can't _believe_ Frank," said James for the thousandth time that morning. The boys sighed. "I just can't believe him."

"It's not like you haven't gotten detention loads of times yourself," Remus pointed out.

"Yeah but on trials day!" hissed James. "Talk about irresponsible."

"HA!" laughed Remus.

James raised his eyebrows at him.

"Aren't you two supposed to be in Muggle Studies right now?" Remus said, looking from him to Draco, who shrugged.

"It's not like I didn't talk to Livesey about excusing us beforehand," said James. "I _am_ responsible, Moony."

At this, the boys exploded with laughter. James scowled.

It was Friday afternoon and while the rest of the boys had a free period, James and Draco had Muggle Studies but had decided to skip it for the purposes of preparing for Gryffindor's Quidditch trials, which were scheduled to take place in about fifteen minutes. After weeks of interviews, James and Sirius had finally narrowed down their choices and set the schedule. Frank had been very stubborn about also being there when James would choose a new beater, but had gotten detention from McGonagall at the last minute and was unfortunately going to miss trials. James was furious.

"…and after everything I've done for him!" he repeated as the boys turned the corner and reached the school's courtyard.

"Look, don't worry about it so much, Prongs," said Sirius. "We've narrowed it down to a fair number of players."

"Yeah, you guys will just see what's best when you get into the air," Draco pointed out.

James shrugged and threw his broom over his shoulder.

"If you were willing to try out, we wouldn't even be having this issue," he muttered.

Draco said nothing, because he had only _just_ managed to convince both James and Sirius to leave him alone about Quidditch already, and wasn't planning on restarting that argument. It had been weeks and weeks of nagging and they still just wouldn't take no for an answer, until Remus decided to back him up and silenced the other two. Draco was sure that if they actually saw him play and realised that he was pretty decent, he would _never_ hear the end of it.

When they finally got to the Quidditch pitch, James and Sirius waved goodbye to the other three and soared off into the air to fly around for a bit while they waited for the rest of the team to show up. Draco, Remus and Wormtail meanwhile headed off to the stands to watch. They had dropped their things off in the common room beforehand, but Remus had still brought along a few notebooks and now began making up questions to test Wormtail on for Transfiguration.

"He's not still failing that, is he?" Draco whispered to him.

Remus, who was sitting in the middle, glanced at Wormtail before answering him.

"He's not stupid or anything—he's just a little slow."

They sat in silence for the first little while, until the team finally showed, followed by those who were trying out.

"Watch carefully, Draco!" James yelled, zooming by him before heading for the ground.

Draco leaned forwards in his seat and kept his eyes on the little red figures still on the ground, each one holding a broom. He wasn't exactly sure how well he would be able to judge them, but wasn't planning on disappointing James either.

Beside him, Remus was scribbling into his notebook at an intense speed and Wormtail was curiously watching the players on the field. After several minutes, (which probably went something like this: "No matter what happens today, you are all winners—there are no losers here"), the players finally mounted their brooms and soared off into the air. James flew by Draco again and gave him a thumbs-up, which Draco responded to with a nod.

Draco knew exactly when the trials began because Wormtail's piercing shriek ("Go Jaaaaames!") was what made him permanently half-deaf. He and Remus together covered their ears and then glared at Wormtail, who looked at them apologetically and then tried to make himself look small in his seat.

"Just—watch—the—game—Wormtail," said Remus, slowly.

Wormtail nodded.

But this was easier said than done. As far as Draco could tell, for the rest of the tryouts, Wormtail jumped in his seat every time James made an impressive move in front of his team members. The kid was positively _in love_ with him—or with his abilities...Draco wasn't quite sure yet. But soon, he grew very agitated listening to Wormtail squeal with excitement every few minutes or so. And funnily enough, so did Remus.

"Will you _please_ stop?!" he hissed for the hundredth time after Wormtail almost fell from his seat with joy.

"You okay there, Remus?" Draco asked after Wormtail muttered his apology and sat back down.

"Fine," said Remus, returning to his notebook and frowning at it.

"You've been in a terrible mood the last couple of days," Draco observed.

Remus shrugged but did not answer. It had been extremely difficult for Draco not to notice how strange the boys were acting the last couple of days. But he was not an idiot—he understood what this might have to do with. After all, it was only about a week and a half until the full moon, and having studied the symptoms of a werewolf back in his third year, Draco distinctly remembered that one of them was said to be mood swings.

"Well if there's anything I can help with, you just lemme know," he said.

Remus gave him a small smile.

"You'd better focus on the tryouts or James'll have your head for it," he told him.

"Nah, it's fine," said Draco. "I've already decided who's definitely not a good fit."

"That quick, huh?" said Remus, his eyebrows raised and a grin on his face.

"I'm actually a fair player myself, just don't tell James or Sirius that," Draco whispered.

Remus let out a laugh.

He watched the boys flying in the air for a few moments with Draco, before he slowly closed up his notebook and turned to face him.

"What's up?" said Draco, his eyes still on the players in the air.

"I just realised that I never did thank you," began Remus, "For what you did…you know, with the prank and everything."

Draco turned to look at him.

"Uh yeah it's fine," he said, slowly. "It—seriously, it's no problem."

"Well no, it…it _does_ matter," said Remus. "I'm already used to going down for things because of James and Sirius. I just always happen to be there."

"At the wrong place at the wrong time," said Draco, nodding.

"Yeah," agreed Remus. "And it just…meant a lot that you stood up for me like that…s-so…"

"Yeah, don't mention it," said Draco, dismissively. "What are friends for?"

Remus smiled at him, and then the both of them turned their heads just as James zoomed by them, yelling "YOU WATCHING THIS?!"

"They're for sharing a cell with," Remus said, sighing.

Draco laughed.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Stupid, idiotic, foolish _imbeciles!_ " spat Remus as he continued to pace about the partially deserted common room. "I can't believe that after everything you've done—after years of talking to you about this, you still went ahead and did it anyway— _oh stop laughing already!_ "

James and Sirius fell silent instantly, though both were still trying hard not to crack smiles. Draco shook his head at their ridiculousness but still found himself thoroughly amused.

"Sorry Moony," James mumbled.

"But come _on!_ " cried Sirius, jumping from the couch. "You know you enjoyed yourself."

"I most definitely did not!" Remus contradicted, furiously. "Do you realise that you nearly got me in trouble for what would be probably the seventieth time in five years—"

"But you _didn't_ get into trouble, did you?" James pointed out, his arms folded across his chest now. "And that's largely thanks to Draco, over here. You know, I really didn't think you had it in you, pal. I'm impressed."

Draco nodded at the memory of how smoothly he'd convinced McGonagall that Remus had had nothing to do with any of it, but then he quickly grew serious because Remus shot the boys a terrible look.

"You've no idea how much Professor McGonagall has done for me," he said, lowering his voice. He was talking more to James and Sirius than he was to Draco, so Draco just settled himself on the couch next to Wormtail and watched. "I owe so much to her—you…it…I can't _stand_ seeing the look on her face when I disappoint her over and over again because of you two."

"Look, we told you to relax, so relax already!" said Sirius. "It was a funny, harmless little— _okay_ , so not that harmless," he added at the look that Remus gave him now, "But you've gotta admit, you did find it a bit funny. Loads of people found it funny!"

"I don't think Severus Snape found it funny at all," Draco admitted, and both James and Sirius let out nervous laughs.

"Old Snivelly did look quite _dashing_ with beaver teeth," said Sirius, looking rather satisfied.

Remus scowled at him.

"Come on, Moony, no one got seriously hurt," James added. "Relax. We've taken the blame for it completely."

"And more importantly, we've made an addition to our little pranking scheme," said Sirius, his eyes landing proudly on Draco. "So proud."

"This is not something to take pride in!" exclaimed Remus, but Draco gave Sirius an acknowledging nod and crossed his own arms.

"It was nothing, really," he said after Remus had calmed his rage.

"It was the most hilarious prank we've ever pulled!" James contradicted.

Again, Draco simply shrugged.

"What, you don't agree?" said Sirius.

Draco looked from him to James and back.

"I think I could do better," he told them, truthfully.

They exchanged looks of great incredulity and then James scoffed.

"Is that right?"

"It is," said Draco, simply.

"Well then," said James, getting to his feet as Draco did too. "Why don't we let you lead the next prank we pull?"

Sirius let out a low whistle which told Draco that James had never permitted anyone that power before.

"James, can we please not?" said Remus, looking rather tired from his rage. "It's enough you corrupted Sirius with your imbecile of a mind. No need to spoil Draco either."

"Excuse me?" said James and Sirius together, but Draco simply shook his head.

"It's alright, Remus, I accept the challenge," he told him, his eyes on James who was smirking.

The boys looked rather pleased with their little arrangement. That is, until the portrait of the Fat Lady slid and through the hole came Lily Evans, looking absolutely outraged. She paused, located the boys, and instantly stormed at them. Large beaver-like teeth were sticking out from her mouth and her face was almost as red as her long hair. Draco could not contain himself. He burst into the kind of laughter he hadn't enjoyed for _years_ —probably not since Weasley got a howler from his mum which shrieked on the entire Great Hall. Draco felt himself collapse on the couch and he held onto his stomach which began to pain from all the laughing. Wormtail also broke into laughter, and so did Sirius, but James and Remus were both looking very panicked.

"Lily," said Remus, taking a step towards her. "I swear—I had nothing to do with it."

"This time," Sirius added, though Draco wasn't sure anyone besides him had heard.

Lily was now glaring at him as she stood just before James.

" _Turn them back to normal_ ," she hissed.

The boys exchanged looks.

"I…" said James, but Sirius interrupted.

"Don't worry, Evans, the effects will go away in about—how long has it been, an hour? So give it another five. You'll be back to normal in the morning."

Lily did not look pleased with this and shot him a look of deep dislike.

"Uh," said Wormtail, turning all heads towards him. "W-we enchanted the…the hallway leading to the…the dungeons. How did you—?"

"How did I manage to walk right into your idiotic prank, you ask?" Lily finished for him.

"Yeah, why were you even in the dungeons?" Sirius wondered.

"That's my business, thanks!" Lily shot at him, her face growing still redder. "You boys have done some really low stuff in the past but this—"

"—is _hilarious_ ," said Draco, finally getting to his feet.

Lily scowled at him, which caused him to only laugh again. Those beaver-like teeth sure made her look a lot like Granger.

"Oh, you think this is funny?!" she cried, but Remus moved to stand between her and Draco.

"Not funny," he told her. "Really, we're very sorry you got caught up in the middle of it."

"Come on, have a sense of humour," Draco teased her, which only caused her to take another step towards him.

Remus quickly pulled her away with him.

"Come on, I'm sure we'll find a helpful book in the library," Draco heard him say and the two disappeared through the portrait hole again.

As soon as they were gone, Draco and Sirius burst into laughter again, followed loosely by Wormtail. James just stood there, and when they noticed that he wasn't laughing too, Sirius said, "Oh come on, Prongs. I'm sure she'll still go out with you after this."

"Yeah, I wouldn't count on it," James muttered.

The boys finally settled back down on the couches and sighed happily. Though Draco had not been directly involved in the prank, he had scored himself a detention too, but he didn't mind. It looked to be more tragic to Remus than it did to him, so he was just glad he'd managed to talk McGonagall out of giving him detention too.

"For the record," Sirius told them after a while, "James did _not_ corrupt me. I consider me self-corrupted, thanks."

xxxxxxxxxx

"Draco?" said Remus, tapping him on the shoulder again.

"Yeah?" said Draco, jumping out of his trance. One boy flew by him and let out a triumphant yell. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, how is Snape doing these days?"

Draco started.

"I don't…know what you mean."

"Oh stop pretending," said Remus, rolling his eyes. "I've seen you always looking for him or just asking people if they've seen him."

"You have?"

Remus nodded.

"I told you before, and I'll tell you again—there is nothing wrong with you wanting to be his friend."

"Yeah," said Draco, sighing. "Tell that to James and Sirius."

Remus followed his gaze to where Sirius was hovering in the air by the goal hoops. James was somewhere not far from him, observing from above as players flew this way and that. Several Gryffindors who had come to watch were cheering lightly from the stands for their favourites as the afternoon sun was slowly setting.

"I know they can be a little…" said Remus, his voice trailing off as James shouted at someone who had just almost knocked another player off their broom. "But you don't owe anything to them or me or anyone else. You do what you have to do."

"Thanks, Remus," said Draco, turning to look at him again. "That means a lot."

Remus smiled. There was something about his smile that bothered Draco however. It was almost—knowing. He really didn't like that smile. It made him nervous.

"So," he said, trying to reroute the conversation from these dangerous waters. "I reckon Slughorn will be sending us information about this club thing soon enough?"

"Oh yes, that he will," said Remus. "You looking forward to it or something?"

"Not at all," said Draco, truthfully. "Just wondering what I should prepare myself for."

Remus thought for a minute, and then answered, "A night full of food and people taking turns explaining how they are going to make themselves into prodigies in the near future."

"Ah," said Draco, nodding. "That sounds about right."

"Yep. But it'll be fine—like I said, there's food."

"Better be good food," Draco muttered. He paused. "Do you know if—"

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMES!"

Draco, Remus and Wormtail flew to their feet and Wormtail clasped his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. James had just taken a hit from a bludger—on account of a very frightened-looking sixth year—and was now falling tens of feet from the air. Panicked, Sirius darted from the goal hoops in the speed of lightning and caught James just as he was inches from the ground. Together, they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the grass, greeted by all the players who had lowered themselves onto the ground to see what was going on.

By the time Draco, Remus and Wormtail had reached them, there was an entire crowd huddled around. Sirius was holding an unconscious James in one hand and two brooms in another. Draco hurriedly grabbed James' arm and flung it over his shoulder, while Sirius took the other arm. Remus and Wormtail grabbed the brooms.

"Thank you to everyone for showing up today!" Sirius called to the group at large as they began to make way for them to pass through. "You will all know if you made it in a couple of days!"

"If James lives until then," Remus muttered.

It took twice as long to get to the hospital wing than it normally would, but once there, the boys handed James over to Madame Pomfrey who immediately hurried for some potions in her private stores. When she came back, she tried shooing the boys away but they were all incredibly insistent on staying, so she settled for having lost that battle and proceeded with administering the potions to James and bandaging his head. When she was finally done, she told the boys that they had until 9 at the very latest and then she would be returning to kick them out. With these her last words, she left.

Sirius sighed with fatigue and collapsed on the bed next to James', while Remus settled for a chair nearby and buried his face in his hands. Wormtail was sitting at the foot of James' bed with a worried expression on his face, and Draco just stood there, not sure what to do.

"Well," said Sirius, pulling out the long list from the inside of his Quidditch robes and folding it out in front of him. "I'd say it was a decent tryout, wouldn't you?" He looked at Draco, who shrugged slightly. "I mean, before James' injury and all that…I think we saw some pretty decent players out there. We'll have plenty to choose from."

"A little insensitive, don't you think, Sirius?" said Remus, raising his head to look at him.

Sirius shrugged innocently.

"Don't worry about James, he'll be fine," Draco assured Remus. "He's a warrior."

"That, he is," agreed Sirius, sitting up. "Look, he'll be waking up soon, you'll see. He'll be eager to get that slimy Harrison Lancaster who, by the way, is the _worst_ beater I have ever seen in my life!"

"Stop, Sirius," said Remus, his eyes on James. "Just stop."

Sirius fell silent.

"Look, it's been a long night," said Draco after a long moment's silence. "Why don't we just…let Madame Pomfrey handle it from here on out?" The boys looked up at him incredulously. "Look, there's not much we can do by being here, right? We'll come back tomorrow—first thing."

"Like hell you will," said James, and the boys all looked round at him.

Sirius got to his feet and let his broom fall to the floor.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh brilliant," said James, sarcastically.

He tried to sit up but his head gave way and he fell back on his pillow and gasped from the pain.

"How are you feeling, Prongs?" Remus asked in a small voice.

"Like my head weighs hundreds of pounds more than it did before," answered James.

"But you remember what happened?" said Wormtail.

"Yeah," said James. "Yeah, I remember. And when I am out of here, I am gonna _kill_ Harrison Lancaster."

Sirius sighed of relief.

"Well, at least he still sounds like his old self, doesn't he?!" he exclaimed to the others.

James laughed.

"I'll admit—not the best start to the season," he told the boys. "But from here on out, it's gonna be all serious business. When do I get to go?"

There was silence. James raised his eyebrows at each of the boys, and then stopped at Draco.

"When can I go?" he repeated.

"P-Pomfrey said that it'll be…four days, no less," he told him, quietly.

James' eyes widened and he tried to sit up again but then fell back on his pillow.

" _Four days_?!" he repeated in a hiss-like tone.

"Minimum," Remus corrected.

James shook his head, as though his protest could change it, and then his eyes fell on Sirius.

"Okay, you'll just have to take over for now," he told him. Sirius nodded. "As co-captain, that's your duty anyway. Make sure you keep everyone informed—everyone that showed an interest in a spot today, that is. And you'll be coming back here a lot so we can decide everything together." Again, Sirius nodded. James' eyes flew to Draco. "And you too."

"Me?" said Draco.

"Yeah, you!" cried James. "You were observing today, right? That's what I told you to do. Please tell me that's what you were doing."

"Relax James, that's what he was doing," Remus interjected.

Draco nodded slowly.

"Okay good," said James, calming down a bit. "I expect you two to work together then," he told Draco and Sirius, both of whom nodded again.

"And then in no time," James added, "I'll be back."

"Just don't work yourself up so much in the meantime," Draco pointed out. "I mean, a head injury is pretty serious."

"Nothing I haven't dealt with before," said James, dismissively.

"Yeah but today it's your head and tomorrow it'll be a collapsed lung," said Draco.

"Relax!" said James. "Do you have any idea how many injuries I've sustained from Quidditch over the years?"

"He's broken more limbs than all of us combined," said Remus matter-of-factly, and Sirius began to count them off on his fingers.

"An arm, a wrist, an ankle, a finger, two ribs, a hip, the other arm, another finger, his left leg, his right toe, the other wrist…"

"Whoa," said Draco, his eyebrows raised. He turned to James. "And how have you not checked in to St. Mungo's for permanent residence yet?"

"Because Madame Pomfrey is a goddess," said James, simply. "She's cured Remus here more times than I can count…" His voice trailed off while his eyes landed on Remus. For the boy's sake, Draco chose to pretend that he hadn't noticed and said, "We should go—curfew."

"Like that hasn't stopped us before," said Sirius.

"Yeah, but the cloak's not gonna do you any good if it's up in the dormitory," James pointed out. Sirius sighed. "Look, just come back tomorrow, okay? I'll hex you if you don't. We need to go over the roster and start making eliminations."

"We'll start with Lancaster, shall we?" Draco suggested.

James chuckled.

"You'll be there too?"

"Uh," said Draco, who had actually been planning on sleeping in, given how much homework he had to do this weekend. "Y-yeah, I'll be there."

"Of course he'll be there, don't be stupid," said Sirius. "We'll all stop by after breakfast."

"You'd better," said James, lying back on his pillow. "Now go on—get out of here."

The boys each waved goodbye to him and then exited the hospital wing together. By the time they got back to the common room, night had fallen. Sirius, exhausted from the efforts of tryouts, collapsed on his usual couch by the fireplace. Remus dug into his bag and pulled out his notebook, handing it—along with a quill—to Wormtail and motioning him to a desk at the back. Wormtail nodded and walked away, his head bent over the notebook. Draco and Remus sat on the couches near Sirius, but soon enough, his faint snores ensued. They exchanged a look and then Remus sighed.

"Crazy night," he said.

"I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day," Draco said, reassuringly.

Remus scoffed.

"Not in James' world…so anyway, about what we were saying before…"

"Yeah?" said Draco, who suddenly found the hem of his robes to be extremely fascinating.

"You were going to ask me something before James' accident," Remus clarified.

"It was no accident," Draco pointed out, but when he looked up, he found Remus staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Clearly, he wasn't going to let this go. "I was just wondering…if Regulus…you know, Sirius' brother…happens to be…"

"In the Slug Club?" said Remus.

Draco frowned at him, wondering how on earth he remembered exactly what they'd been discussing before James' fall.

"I have a perfect memory," Remus explained and Draco's confusion subsided. "And yes, he is. He's been a member since his…oh I'm terrible with _this_ kind of stuff…" he frowned, "His…fourth year? I think."

"But Sirius is not a member," Draco clarified.

"Nope," said Remus. "Sirius and Regulus have always been the most unbrotherly brothers I've ever known."

"What does that even mean?"

Remus paused before answering. "It means that they are very, very different…and yet also the same in some ways. Though, I'd prefer if you kept that part of my opinion to yourself." He turned to look at Sirius snoozing on the couch. "Lord knows he'd have my head if he heard me say this."

"Your secret is safe with me," Draco muttered, also staring at Sirius.

The portrait slid open and in climbed a gang of very noisy girls, among them being Lily Evans. She gave Remus a polite wave and then disappeared to the girls' dormitory. Alice was also a part of the group which now slowly made its way up the spiral staircase as well. Just before disappearing behind the door, Alice locked eyes with Draco and gave him an extremely flirtatious smile. Draco grinned slightly, and then grew very serious once he realised Frank sitting on the other end of the common room with a book which he was not paying attention to in the slightest.

Over the last few weeks, Draco and Alice had been flirting back and forth, which seemed to have ticked Frank off just a bit.

"We're not seeing each other," he told Draco multiple times.

"Then why do you care what she does?" Draco wondered.

"I don't," said Frank, most unconvincingly. "I just…well I mean, what do you see in her anyway?"

"Different things," Draco admitted, and though Frank looked somewhat displeased with this answer, he nevertheless decided to drop it.

It was very clear that fighting for revenge was not his style, and it definitely shocked Draco how very willing Frank was to let this go. He either didn't like Alice enough to care, or he liked her more than Draco would ever know and therefore desired only her happiness. Either way, Draco found himself starting to like Frank more and more with each day. The kid was definitely the "James" of his year, even though no one officially acknowledged this.

"You gonna ask her out anytime soon?" Remus wondered, interrupting Draco's thought flow completely.

"What? Oh—no, I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"I dunno," said Draco, shrugging. "It's just harmless flirting, that's all."

"For now," Remus pointed out. "Don't be afraid to get out there and have some fun."

"Okay Moony," laughed Draco. "I think that's enough advice for one day, but I'll keep that in mind." He rose to his feet. "I'm off to bed."

"I'll be up shortly," said Remus, who now stretched on the couch and rested his head on one of its shoulders. "Gotta mark Peter's quiz when he's done with it."

Draco nodded and waved goodbye to the mouse-like boy on the other end of the room. When he was up in the dormitory, Draco undressed and got into bed with Alice still circulating his mind. Of course he was not an idiot. He knew that she was only giving him this attention to get back at Frank for whatever had happened between them. It was obvious, really—every time she was talking to Draco, she was acting extra girly and looking around constantly to make sure Frank was watching. And watching, he was. But Draco didn't seem to really care about being used like this at the moment. He was already too bombarded with keeping up with his image and his schoolwork and in between Dumbledore lessons and everything else, romance was probably the last thing on his mind.

The next day, true to their word, the boys breakfasted fast and headed down to the Hospital Wing straightaway. James was already up by the time they got there, and Madame Pomfrey was fussing over him to finish off the last of his porridge.

"Okay, I'm done—now lemme talk to my friends," he told her, after gulping down the last bit.

She gave him a stern look and bustled into her office, looking very angry.

"So how are _you two_ getting along?" said Sirius, who took a seat on the chair next to James' bed and put his feet up on the bedside table.

"Divinely," James muttered, "Did you bring the list?"

"Yep," said Sirius, pulling it out.

"Have a seat," James told Draco, and he did so. "We have loads to talk about. But first—did you scratch Harrison Lancaster?"

"Already ahead of you," declared Sirius, thrusting the list in James' face.

James took it in his hands and nodded approvingly. He then looked up at the two. "Okay, what did we think of Patricia Jenkins?"

"Awful," said Sirius, at once. "She can't fly if it would save her life!"

"Agreed, she's out," said James, who took in hand a pen that Sirius gave him and crossed the name off the list. Before he could continue however, Remus interrupted.

"Hagrid's invited us to tea this morning. Peter and I are gonna go, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," said James, dismissively, his eyes on the list.

"Uh Draco," said Remus, before leaving. Draco looked up at him, surprised. "Do you want to come?"

"No!" cried James, giving Remus a look.

"James is right, Remus, the boy stays," said Sirius.

Draco gave Remus a smile and waved goodbye as he and Wormtail left the hospital wing. He turned back to the other two.

"You _do_ want to stay, don't you?" James asked, unsure.

"Yeah, of course," said Draco, at once. He had absolutely no intention on having tea with that miserable oaf, though he wasn't at all surprised that Remus and Wormtail were willing to go. "Who's next?"

"Uh okay, there's Davey Gudgeon who I actually found was fairly good," said James, consulting the list again.

"Is that the bloke who flew headfirst into that tree at the end of the pitch?" said Sirius, sitting up.

"No, that was Brian something," said James, slowly.

"He was rubbish," Draco added.

"Yeah," agreed James. "Yeah no, Gudgeon was the guy who kept high-fiving Frank whenever he got a quaffle past you, Sirius."

"Oh yeah, him!" cried Sirius. "Yeah, damn he was _good_! Seventh year, right? Yeah we should take him."

"Chaser, it is!" said James, and he scribbled on the parchment.

"Wait, so of those that are already on the team, who is staying?" Draco wondered.

"Us two and Frank and Cresswell," said James.

"Cresswell…?" said Draco, who was completely lost.

"Dirk Cresswell," said Sirius. "You know, the guy who kept high-fiving _me_ whenever he got a quaffle past me?"

"Oh," said Draco, comprehension dawning on him.

"He's a fifth year," said James. "He's been on the team with us since we were in third year."

"And he's a chaser," said Draco, nodding. "So that means you're looking for a beater and two chasers."

"Naturally," said James, who was now frowning at the list. "D'you know, I'm not sure I cared much for Atrenus."

"You mean the little munchkin that no one paid attention to?" said Sirius, letting out a bark-like laugh. "Cross him off."

"No wait!" said Draco before James could do just that. The boys both looked at him. "Don't be quick to cross off the youngest one. I watched him for a bit and he does look like he has potential."

"Having potential won't be enough to get onto _my_ team," James told him. "We're going for the Quidditch Cup here, not the Award of Amateurs!"

"Don't cross him off!" Draco tried again, when James reached to do it. James sighed. "Look, he's small and unnoticeable. That's a _good_ thing. Just trust me, you'll see. When it's game time, he'll be able to use his size to his advantage."

James and Sirius exchanged a look.

"I know what I'm talking about," Draco added hastily.

"Your call, Jamesy," said Sirius.

James thought for a long time but eventually decided to go ahead with Draco's advice and put Jarine Atrenus as their second chaser pick.

But for the next half hour, all the boys did was argue about their choices for a beater to accompany Frank up in the air. By 9 o'clock, they still hadn't come to an agreement, though they did manage to narrow it down to Cresswell's younger brother Arthur, some fourth year by the name of George Hensley, and a fifth year called Bertram Aubrey. Draco gave his input as best as he could and then excused himself from James' and Sirius' row.

"Where are _you_ going?" James demanded once he'd finally realised that Draco had gotten to his feet.

"I have to get started on that vampire essay for Claybrook," Draco told him, apologetically. "Look, you guys narrowed it down to the best three. Just take your pick and it'll all be fine."

"It's fine, you can go, you've helped us loads," Sirius told him. He turned back to James. "Why won't you just listen to me and go ahead with Cresswell?"

"Because the kid's a git!"

Draco let them have at it and let himself out of the Hospital Wing. He kept true to his word and headed for the library straightaway, though the words "vampire" and "essay" were absolutely the last things on his mind. He was headed for the library for another reason entirely—a reason that had brought him back there quite a few times now. Regulus Black.

Draco had been trying to get a hold of him for a few days now, but the kid was never alone. He was always surrounded by his gang of Slytherins, and he always looked somewhat frightened. The only comforting thing about it all was that Snape was a part of this group, and so Draco knew that Regulus was not in complete enemy territory. Still, he felt quite uneasy every time he saw him off with them. And the way that this group of boys eyed Draco—as though he was a fresh piece of meat for them to play with—was not at all comforting.

Failing to find Regulus yet again, Draco settled himself at a table in the corner and proceeded with pulling out his Defense against the Dark Arts homework. _Might as well_ , he thought grudgingly. But even after twenty minutes of staring at the blank piece of parchment in front of him, titled _Vampires and their Extraordinary Properties_ , he was still unable to focus. He found his mind wandering to other things that fascinated him a great deal more than vampires ever would.

xxxxxxxxxx

"I can't do it, OKAY?!" he shouted. "I've tried and I can't. What do you want from me?!"

"I want you to dig deeper," Dumbledore told him, still more calmly. "Have the courage to dig deeper."

"Is that supposed to be some kind of jab at me being in Gryffindor?" Draco shot at him.

"Not at all," said Dumbledore with a sad smile.

Draco scoffed at him and resumed his pacing about the dimly-lit office. Dumbledore stared at him from his desk, a curious expression upon his face.

"Close your eyes," he instructed.

Draco stopped and did so.

"Concentrate," said Dumbledore. "Find it within you—look as deep into your childhood as you have to."

Draco took a few deep breaths, like Dumbledore had instructed before, and concentrated with all his might. First, he'd tried using the memory of the first time he'd walked through those front doors to Hogwarts. It had barely produced a silver light, let alone a full-bodied Patronus.

"Find the memory," Dumbledore continued, his voice alike to that of a meditation counselor. "Allow it to fill you up inside. Immerse yourself within it completely."

Draco took several more breaths, concentrating hard on that day he'd challenged Harry Potter on their first flying lesson. He had been so pleased to show off his superb flying skills, and even more pleased when Professor McGonagall came to get Harry Potter.

" _Expecto Patronum_!" he cried, his wand shaking slightly in his hand.

Nothing happened.

"Not good enough," said Dumbledore, disapprovingly.

"Look, you think I don't know that?" Draco yelled. " _Professor_ " he added at the sight of Dumbledore raising his eyebrows at him.

Of course he knew _why_ the memory he'd chosen this time wasn't working. It was because he kept remembering that McGonagall had pulled Harry Potter away so as to ask him to join the bloody Quidditch team as the only first-year in a century. But it was the best he could do, under the circumstances. There wasn't anything else he could think of. It was too much pressure.

"What was the memory you chose?"

"I thought you said I shouldn't tell you," Draco pointed out, sinking into the chair across from Dumbledore. "I thought you said it should be personal enough for me not to tell anyone."

"What does it _relate_ to?" Dumbledore clarified.

Draco sighed. "Quidditch."

Dumbledore frowned at him.

"What?" he added.

"That's not good enough!" Dumbledore hissed. "Not _nearly_ good enough!" Draco rolled his eyes at him. "Have you been listening at all to what I've been saying?"

"Yes," said Draco, irritably.

"It has to be the _strongest_ memory of your very existence!" Dumbledore repeated for the thousandth time. "The single-most happiest moment you've ever felt in your life! Find it! Feel it! Relive it!"

"I CAN'T!" Draco shouted, startling Dumbledore just a bit. "Look, if you lived my life, you'd understand, okay? I can't just up and find a moment of ecstasy when the last year of my life has been a complete and total nightmare!"

"You can if you truly want to," Dumbledore said, calmly. "You have to want to. If you want to, you can achieve anything. All you have to do is ask."

xxxxxxxxxx

A pair of fingers snapped right before Draco's eyes and he jumped slightly. Lily Evans was sitting across from him at the table in the library.

"Y-you okay?" she wondered, looking fascinated with him.

Draco looked around the nearly deserted library and then back at his untouched homework.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"You looked like you had something important on your mind," Lily observed.

"So what if I did?" Draco muttered, picking up the quill and beginning to write on the parchment.

Lily was silent for a long while, and though Draco's eyes were firmly on the homework in front of him, he could feel her stare. Finally growing tired of these little games that she had been playing him for a week now, he looked up at her expectedly. She flashed him a bright smile.

"Can I help you with something?" he wondered.

"Just wanted to talk," she said, simply. "You know, I think you've been avoiding me. . . I've been trying to talk to you for like a week now."

"Avoiding you? I have no idea what you're talking about," said Draco, innocently.

Lily raised an eyebrow at him but he simply returned to his homework and resumed writing.

"Look, I didn't know that you had nothing to do with the prank, okay?" she blurted out.

Draco looked up at her.

"I just assumed…you know, when you were laughing at me and all…"

"Because you looked ridiculous!" said Draco. Lily smiled softly. "And anyway, that's fine. I didn't expect any less from you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" said Lily, suddenly.

"Just what you heard," said Draco, who was now starting to gather his things. "You'd never go and find out the truth before accusing a person. It's better to just assume that they're guilty before they even have a chance to explain, isn't it?"

And without waiting for her to answer, he turned around with his bag hung over his shoulder and exited the library, leaving Lily completely appalled at that table.

The rest of the day passed rather slowly. Remus and Wormtail returned from their visit to Hagrid's only at noon and Sirius came back from the hospital wing shortly after, looking flustered and exhausted. He took a nap for the rest of the afternoon ("I don't care about that essay, Remus, I'm completely knackered!"), while Draco followed Remus and Wormtail out into the courtyard to try and get through that vampire essay. They visited James briefly just before dinner (he looked positively bored with the hospital wing already) and then Draco bid farewell to the other two (who headed for the Entrance hall hangout) and started for Dumbledore's office.

"Draco, how nice to see you again," Dumbledore told him once he'd entered the office. "Well, let us get started straightaway?"

"Yep," said Draco, closing the door behind him and pulling out his wand.

Dumbledore walked around his desk and stopped at the center of the room.

"Do you have a memory?" he asked, his hands in the pockets of his robes.

Draco nodded, having thought up a second memory earlier that day, as it was the homework that Dumbledore had assigned him last Saturday.

"Alright, same drill then," said Dumbledore. "Close your eyes, concentrate hard, and allow the memory to fill you up—first through the tips of your toes and fingers, and then into your very veins, until it reaches the center of your heart."

Draco thought of the moment he and Pansy had danced for the first time, back in the Yule Ball. It had been a truly remarkable moment, given that they had grown up together. He could remember her running around in his house as a toddler, on one of their many playdates together, and so the dancing that night was definitely awkward, but somewhat nice to have fun with his childhood friend.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_

A silver streak somewhat crawled out of his wand and then vanished into vapour just as quickly as it had occurred. Dumbledore still looked unimpressed.

"You are not trying hard enough," he told him, shaking his head as he walked away from him.

Draco stood there, stunned and unsure of how to make Dumbledore understand.

"I _am_ trying," he mumbled. "I just—don't—have—many—happy—memories."

"Sure you do," said Dumbledore, simply. "Everyone has at least one memory. It might not be considered the happiest by others, but to them, it is in comparison to every other memory that they have. And if they want to make it happy, they will."

"You know professor, you're making no sense at all," Draco observed.

"So I've been told," said Dumbledore, smiling warmly. He then grew serious. "Ready to try again?"

Draco jumped to his feet, sighed, and nodded, closing his eyes.

It was going to be a looong night.

Sunday was even longer than Saturday had been. Breakfast was a subdued affair, with the exception of one small thing that occurred towards the end. The owl post arrived as usual, and a small white envelope fell into Sirius' lap, which was most unexpected considering he never got mail. He stared at it for a few moments and then pocketed it instantly and returned to his food as though nothing had happened. Draco and Remus glanced at each other but neither was stupid enough to ask any questions. Not yet, anyway.

James was even more agitated that day than he'd been before. Sirius got the list out and again, they delved into their argument regarding who would make the cut for the open beater position. Remus excused himself, claiming to have an important Prefects' meeting, and Draco and Wormtail left the hospital wing together and retreated to the courtyard to do a bit reading. Well, it was more Draco walking himself and Wormtail acting as his shadow. Still, they sat very quietly for the entire afternoon, until Lily took a seat on Draco's other side.

"Hi again," she said.

"Can I help you, again?" Draco said, without looking up from his book.

"I've read that about three times already," she said, pointing at Dumbledore's copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ in his hands.

Draco did not answer.

"Well, if you were wondering, the prefect's meeting went well," she tired.

Again, Draco did not answer. She was like a buzzing fly that just wouldn't leave him alone.

"Look, why can't we just start over?" Lily blurted out after a moment's silence. "I mean we obviously got off to a bad start, didn't we?"

"Obviously," Draco repeated.

"I just think that we barely know each other so it doesn't make sense to be mad at someone you don't even know," she said, reasonably.

Draco looked up at her.

"What book did you get that ridiculous fact from?"

"It's called intuition, you ought to look it up," she said.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her and she tried to maintain her cool, but he could tell she was growing slightly nervous.

"Look, I admit that I may have acted…slightly less than professional…but it doesn't mean we can't start over," she added. "Besides, as a prefect, it _is_ my duty to make new students feel welcome."

"Even those who you fear?" said Draco, turning his body fully so that he was facing her.

Her smile faltered. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Shame," he said, lowering his voice significantly.

Lily's eyes widened slightly, but before she could say anything, Remus and Sirius showed up.

"Oh, hey Lily," said Remus, looking somewhat confused.

Draco turned away from her and stood up, looking at Sirius. "Did you guys choose a beater?"

"Yeah," sighed Sirius. "We're going with Aubrey."

"Excellent choice."

Sirius nodded. There was something very strange about the way he looked—Draco actually felt slightly unsettled and asked, "You okay?" Sirius nodded but looked away without even making a joke to cover up this awkward moment.

For the rest of the day, he acted strange. He was quieter than usual—angry, even. Draco found himself almost _itching_ to find out what had been in that letter, but decided it was best not to press Sirius on the matter. He would bring it up himself when he felt was right. Draco was sure of it.

But even as the boys headed for dinner at the end of the day, Sirius had not said a word and his mood had not improved in the slightest. He remained in the Great Hall for all of ten minutes before jumping from his seat and calling it a night. Draco, Remus and Wormtail stared after him, watching as he exited the Great Hall in a hurry, all of them confused.

"So," said Remus, switching the subject. "How was your lesson with Dumbledore yesterday? I didn't get a chance to ask before."

"It was fine," Draco responded, taking another bite of his steak.

"Just fine?"

Draco looked up at Remus.

"It was okay?" he said, slowly.

Remus shrugged and turned back to his dinner. Draco, on the other hand, found himself momentarily distracted. On the other end of the hall, seated along the Slytherin table, was Mulciber, whose black eyes were dead set on Draco. Some three seats away from him, Regulus was chatting with a group of boys, and on his other side, Snape was eating and reading at the same time. But Mulciber was sitting with his arms crossed and staring at Draco long after Draco met his eyes. Something told Draco that this was not a good sign at all.

Sirius did not return when dinner was over, so Draco, Remus and Wormtail headed for the Entrance Hall without him. They took their usual seats on the stairs and watched as the rest of the fifth, sixth and seventh year students crowded around the hall and went about their usual conversations, some of them even pulling out cards and starting games. It looked like it was going to be a nice and quiet evening, which at this point, between the piles of homework that he still had to do and the Patronus Charm lessons that weren't moving forward at all, was exactly what Draco needed.

He turned to look at Remus, who was staring at some spot on the floor and thinking hard.

"What's on your mind?" Draco wondered.

Wormtail turned his head to look at them.

"Nothing much," said Remus, still staring at the spot.

"You've been looking very peaky lately," Draco observed, knowing perfectly well what the reason for this was.

Remus shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile. "I mean I might be coming down with something but other than that, I feel fine."

"Good," said Draco, nodding. "Because it's bad enough that James is in the hospital wing without you going to join him there too."

Remus smiled to himself. He then looked up at Draco with a curious expression. "Lily complained to me this morning at our prefect's meeting."

"Did she?" said Draco, indifferently.

"Yeah," said Remus. "I was just wondering…do you in fact have some kind of a problem with her?"

Draco's eyes fell on Wormtail, who looked quickly away. Had the sneaky git snitched on him about what had happened that afternoon?

"I mean, maybe it was something that she said or did," Remus added, hastily.

But he never got his answer because at that precise moment, Sirius raced past them, almost stepping on Remus' hand in the process, and jumped the last step, looking around.

"Sirius? What—"

He ignored Remus completely and stalked to the end of the Entrance Hall, pushing chatting students aside as he went. Draco and Remus both jumped to their feet and followed him, stopping just in front of the gang of Slytherins that were standing at the very corner of the hall. Sirius was standing before them, a letter clutched tightly in his hand. Draco's heart skipped a beat or two.

" _Can I have a word with you_?" Sirius shot at his younger brother, who was standing in the middle of the group, looking startled.

"S-sure?" he said. He meant to take a step forwards but Mulciber's hand shot out to stop him. Sirius glared at the boy.

"You wanna get your filthy hand away from my brother?" he snapped.

"Or what?" said Mulciber, and he too, took a step forwards, only to be stopped by Snape's arm.

Snape's eyes met Draco's for a split second, before he said to Sirius, "What do you want, Black?"

"I don't believe I was talking to you, _Snivellus_ ," Sirius growled.

This time, Snape took a step towards him, but another hand flew in front of him, blocking his way. Draco stared at the boy whose hand it was. He looked definitely older, and very…crossly. Snape met the boy's eyes, and then nodded and moved a step back. All the while, Sirius remained exactly where he was, still fuming and letter still clutched in his hands. His eyes landed on Regulus again.

"A word?" he repeated through gritted teeth.

"W-what's up?" Regulus asked.

"Fine," said Sirius, "We'll talk here, I guess." He held up the letter. "I heard from our dear mother today." Regulus opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius never let him. "She had some very interesting things to tell me. She—" he smoothed out the letter and read from it "—was absolutely appalled and yet not at all surprised to hear that I, her oldest son, have been parading around the school in my bloody Gryffindor robes, caring only about my bloody Quidditch and bloody girls." He looked up at Regulus, whose face was now ghostly pale. "You—have—been—reporting—on—me—haven't—you?"

Regulus opened his mouth again but nothing came out.

" _How fucking dare you_?" Sirius hissed.

"Watch your tone, Black," said Mulciber, but Sirius thoroughly ignored him and continued to glare at Regulus.

"I w-was just f-following—"

"—following our mother's orders?" finished Sirius.

Regulus nodded slowly.

"Does the word 'brother' mean nothing to you?" Sirius shot at him. "Have you completely lost your mind? Have you completely forgotten our entire childhoods? Every time I saved you from those psychotic cousins of ours…every time I defended you in front of our criminal-minded parents…every single fucking time—"

"Look, just back off, Sirius!" Regulus spat.

Sirius' eyes widened dangerously, and Remus put a hand on his shoulder to try and pull him away. Sirius wretched it off instantly and continued to glare at his brother.

"What did you just say to me?" he said through gritted teeth.

"You heard me!" cried Regulus, moving a step away from his gang. "You…look, enough is enough, okay? I did what mother told me to. It's not my fault she's fed up with your nonsense—"

"Shut your mouth!" hissed Sirius. "Fed up with my nonsense, is she?" He held up the letter again. "You are a cowardly idiot and Regulus is a hundred times the man you'll ever be." He looked up at Regulus and let out a bark-like laugh which was the coldest Draco had ever heard. "I suppose her perfect _man_ of a son won't want to let mummy down, will he?" He turned to Remus and Draco, smiling widely. "Can you believe it? Regulus here, thinks he is a _man_!"

"Shut up, Sirius!"

"No, _you_ shut up!"

Sirius turned back to Regulus and took a step towards him. Regulus did not move this time, but continued to glare at his brother.

Draco's eyes fell on Snape again, who looked very troubled. He acknowledged him with a nod but said nothing. It was then that Draco noticed that the whole of the Entrance Hall had grown silent, and all eyes seemed to be on them now.

"You think I give a damn at all that our parents favour _you_ over _me_?!" Sirius hissed angrily. "You think I care that they are just about ready to throw me out of the inheritances? I DON'T GIVE A DAMN. WHAT I CARE ABOUT, QUITE FRANKLY, IS THAT MY IMBECILE OF A BROTHER IS JUST ABOUT READY TO STAB A KNIFE IN MY BACK OVER A LITTLE GOLDEN TROPHY FROM MUMMY!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, SIRIUS!" Regulus shouted. "YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS! YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEEN. THEY CLEARLY LOVE ME MORE THAN YOU!"

"IDIIOOT!" Sirius shouted, his face inches away from that of his brother's. " _You stupid, heartless piece of trash! You'll give my head to any one of our relatives for a mere 'Atta boy', you pathetic little twit! Have you no shame at all? Don't you fucking care that I am your fucking brother?"_

"Some brother!" laughed Regulus. "You run around with your stupid friends, trying to act all brave to get attention! You don't care at all about what our parents think of this…You gonna be moving in with Dumbledore anytime soon?"

Sirius cursed loudly, and several girls to his right gasped.

"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you?" he hissed. "For me to move."

"It'd be like Christmas morning every day!" said Regulus, proudly. A cruel smile then crossed his face. "No one would even miss you."

And at that moment, Sirius lost it. Forgetting all about the fact that he had a wand with which he could duel, he lunged at Regulus with all his might, causing both of them to fall to the floor. The students in the hall gasped and started shouting either for them to stop or to continue fighting. Draco, Remus, Wormtail, Snape, Mulciber and another Slytherin boy all fell to their knees, trying hard to pull the two brothers away from each other, but both Sirius and Regulus were tearing into each other as though the apocalypse were upon them. Draco struggled hard against Sirius, who seemed to be fighting the fight of his life. They couldn't hear anything over the shouts and yells of the surrounding students.

" _Sirius, let him go!_ " Remus shouted into his ear, but it did no good.

Sirius had now managed to get on top of Regulus and was punching him over and over again across the face, while Snape, Mulciber and the boy Draco did not recognise pulled their arms around him and pushed him off of Regulus. Regulus, however, wasted no time in getting to his feet and lunging back at Sirius in retaliation. It was now Draco, Remus and Wormtail's turn to pull a brother away. This was easier said than done, for Regulus was kicking and screaming like he was being tortured with the Cruciatus.

Suddenly, time seemed to stop. The boys all froze mid-fight and the hall silenced at once. Draco felt a strange sort of colouring around them, and all sound became muffled. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a wand lowering and a figure moving a few steps towards the group of frozen boys.

"Exactly _what_ is going on here?" came Professor McGonagall's undeniably furious voice.

* * *

 **The end.**

 **Totally kidding, please don't kill!**

 **How about that Sirius/Regulus fight though?**


	9. Confessions

**Author's Note : A lot is gonna go down here tonight . . .**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 9: CONFESSIONS

" _What_ is going on here?" Professor McGonagall repeated after she'd reversed her freezing charm and the boys each scrambled back to their sides, Sirius standing with Draco, Remus and Wormtail, and Regulus back with his gang of Slytherin boys.

None of them knew what to say, so they just watched Professor McGonagall nervously as her eyes surveyed each face. The whole of the Entrance Hall was dead silent and everyone was waiting anxiously for something to happen.

"Tell me what this is about!" McGonagall demanded, her wand still clutched in her hand.

The boys exchanged looks but none of them spoke up. They knew that to tell the truth would not be wise, and to make up a lie on the spot (without having rehearsed it beforehand with each other) would be a death sentence, surely. So they stood there, waiting for the worst. McGonagall raised her eyebrows at their silence.

"If you don't want to tell me, perhaps you will want to tell the Headmaster?"

And then, the uproar ensued. The boys _exploded_ into an immediate account of what had truly happened. And from what Draco could tell, each of them was trying to twist the story into their own version. The Slytherin boys were yelling about how Sirius marched up to the Entrance Hall and started punching his brother. The Gryffindor boys were shouting that Regulus had said some hurtful things and then Sirius started fighting with him. But Sirius and Regulus, on the other hand, were shouting at each other rather than at McGonagall.

"Siiiiiiiileeeeence!" she screeched after a few minutes of this.

The boys fell silent at once, but Sirius and Regulus continued to glare at each other.

"I should tell you this," began McGonagall, looking furious, "That _never_ in my years at Hogwarts have I _ever_ seen such despicable behaviour!"

"But—"

"There is absolutely _no_ tolerance at this school for such violence!"

"We didn't—"

"I don't _care_ who started it, Mr. Mulciber, I have seen enough for one night!"

Mulciber shrugged and crossed his arms. Professor McGonagall sighed heavily.

"Alright, although such actions are absolutely unacceptable, I don't think it is necessary to bother the headmaster with."

The boys sighed collectively, and McGonagall shot them dirty looks.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking you won't be punished," she told them, sternly. "Let's see…I walked in here and saw Gryffindor Black, Slytherin Black, _new_ Gryffindor Black," she gave Draco a pointed look, "Lupin, Pettigrew, Mulciber, Snape, and Crouch tearing at each other like a hooligan band." Draco's eyes fell on the boy he hadn't recognised, who was standing beside Snape. Barty Crouch Junior.

McGonagall sighed again.

"Tomorrow after breakfast, you will report to my office to receive your punishment— _all of you_ ," her eyes lingered over the Slytherin boys for a split second longer than they did the Gryffindor boys, and then she turned promptly on her heel and marched out of the Entrance Hall. Students parted ways to let her through, and then they turned to look at the boys expectedly.

"Aren't you all supposed to be gossiping about the next stupid thing?" said Sirius, loudly. "Haven't seen enough, have you, you nosey gits?"

He didn't wait for any answers, but followed McGonagall in suit. Draco, Remus and Wormtail did not stick around for after-fight drinks either and followed after Sirius. They walked in silence, and soon heard the parade of students trailing after them.

It being a Sunday night, no one in Gryffindor stuck around the common room for much longer. Draco and the others were seated in their usual spot by the fireplace and watched as their fellow classmates awkwardly waved goodbye to them and retreated to their dormitories, leaving them alone in the empty common room. It was at that moment that Remus jumped to his feet.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" he shot at Sirius.

Sirius looked up at him, stunned.

"W-what?"

"I mean, _seriously_ , what the HELL is wrong with you?!" Remus moved away from the couch and began pacing the length of the common room. "Did we _not_ have this conversation before, Sirius? Did I not tell you how I felt about disappointing Professor Mc—"

" _Oh, just lay off, Remus!"_ cried Sirius, and he too, got to his feet and began pacing up and down the fireplace. "Look, I get it, okay? I don't need a lecture from you too!"

"Well that's too bad, Sirius, 'cause you're gonna get it anyway!" cried Remus.

They froze their pacing and turned to look at each other.

"FINE!" shouted Sirius. "FINE, YOU WANT TO YELL AT ME? GO AHEAD!"

"S-Sirius," said Wormtail in a quiet voice.

"SHUT UP, WORMTAIL!" Sirius shot at him.

"DON'T DO THAT!" cried Remus. "DON'T YOU TALK TO HIM LIKE THAT, THIS IS NOT HIS FAULT!"

"Oh, and I suppose it's all _my_ fault then, right?" said Sirius.

"Did you doubt that even for a second?" said Remus.

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again and crossed his arms. Remus sighed.

"I've told you, _hundreds of times before_ , that I can't _stand_ seeing the look on Professor McGonagall's face when I disappoint her!"

"You're right—you _have_ already told me that hundreds of times!" said Sirius, irritably.

"And I'll keep telling it to you until it sticks to your brain!"

"Look, what do you want me to do? I didn't ask for her to punish you too! You know you could've just said that you had nothing to do with it. It's the truth, anyway. With your reputation, she'd believe it."

"No she wouldn't because thanks to you and James, I already _have_ a reputation!"

"SO STOP TALKING TO US THEN AND WE WON'T _GIVE_ YOU A REPUTATION!"

"Guys," said Wormtail again.

"And you know what's the best part?" laughed Sirius, ignoring him completely. "It's that you think everything is about you! Did it even cross your mind that this has _nothing_ to do with _you_?! Or does that not matter because only _your_ problems are big and the rest of ours' are not a factor?"

"I didn't say that, you _know_ I never said that," said Remus, hotly.

"You didn't have to; your face shows it loud and clear," said Sirius.

"GUYS!" cried Wormtail.

"WHAT?!" they yelled back at him.

"Y-you should stop f-fighting!" he said.

"The kid's got a point," said Draco, speaking up for the first time since they'd gotten back to the common room. Both Remus and Sirius turned to look at him, startled, as though he'd just walked into the room. He stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "You guys are fighting for nothing. It's not gonna change anything no matter what you say now."

Remus nodded slowly, and when he spoke, his voice was significantly quieter than before.

"You're right."

The portrait hole suddenly slid open and in crawled Lily and Alice, along with a few other students whom Draco did not recognise.

"H-hey," said Remus, calling out to them.

Lily waved goodbye to the others and walked over to him.

"What's going on?" he asked her.

"McGonagall called an emergency prefects' meeting," she explained, glancing over his shoulder at Sirius, who was still cursing by the fireplace.

"I'm a prefect," said Remus, matter-of-factly.

"Um," said Lily, giving him an apologetic smile. "I don't know anything about it, Remus. I'm sorry."

"N-no, it's okay," he said, turning his head slightly in Sirius' direction to give him a disappointed look.

"Well goodnight," said Lily, and she left.

Before Remus could say anything, Wormtail got to his feet. "Let's just all go to sleep, okay? Moony? P-Padfoot?"

"If I lose my prefect's position because of you…" began Remus, his eyes glaring at Sirius.

"Then you'll never let me hear the end of it," said Sirius, rolling his eyes. "Yeah. I know."

"Good," said Remus. "I'm glad we've gotten that sorted out."

"Ugh, just _stop_ already!" said Draco.

All of the boys turned to look at him again.

"Seriously!" he added, starting for the spiral staircase. "It's late. Tomorrow is the start of another week. Let's just…put this on hold for Pete's sake!"

"W-well, not just for _my_ sake," said Wormtail, and when Draco turned to look at him, he let out a small smile. Draco returned it. He didn't know why he did it, but there it was.

"Fine," said Remus, also starting for the staircase. "We'll put it on hold, but this isn't over!" He pointed his index finger to Sirius, who scowled at him from the other side of the common room.

"Yeah, but for now, let's just hope we don't get thrown out of school come tomorrow morning," said Draco.

"Wait!" said Sirius, who remained standing by the fire. The boys turned to look at him. He lowered his voice. "No matter what happens, James doesn't find out."

"W-what?" said Wormtail.

"You heard me," said Sirius, taking a few steps towards him and stopping just at the foot of the stairs. "We can't tell James what happened today. He…he needs to get better first. Look, if we tell him, he'll just start worrying, you know how he is."

Remus nodded.

"Okay, we don't tell James," he said.

They both looked at Wormtail, who bit his lip and nodded in agreement. Then, all three boys turned to Draco. He raised his eyebrows.

"I'm not gonna tell James anything," he said, innocently. Sirius breathed. "But if he asks me," Draco added, turning to the staircase and starting to climb, "I'm not gonna lie."

 _So all in all, not a very good start to the week_ , thought Draco as he lay in bed an hour later and stared up at the ceiling. Wormtail was already snoring softly from his bed and by the looks of it, Remus was also asleep. Sirius had not come up yet, and Draco doubted that he would anytime soon. It really had shocked him to see Sirius fighting with Regulus like so, but he'd been even more surprised to witness all the tension between Sirius and Remus. The Marauders were good friends alright, but they also sure knew how to kill each other with words.

When his watch chimed 2 o'clock and Sirius had failed to come to bed already, Draco pulled on his dressing robes and crept across the dormitory. Just as he had suspected, Sirius was sitting alone in the common room and staring into the fire. At the sight of Draco coming down the stairs, he jumped a little, but then nodded for him to take a seat. Draco did.

"What are you still doing up?" Sirius asked him.

"Thinking," replied Draco. "You?"

"Thinking," replied Sirius.

Draco nodded. "About what?"

"Wormtail," Sirius admitted. When Draco looked confused, he smiled. "I shouldn't have lashed out on the kid—Remus was right. I'll have to talk to him in the morning."

"He'll forgive you," said Draco. Sirius shrugged. "He will," Draco added. "I've seen the way he looks at you. The kid worships you." Sirius smiled sadly.

"Yeah, what a great example I am," he muttered. "So, I suppose right about now, you must be thinking 'What _the hell_ kind of a twisted and demented family have I joined'?"

Draco grinned into the fireplace, and then grew serious again.

"Actually, I was thinking that whatever happened in the Entrance Hall tonight was something that's been building up for years now," he said.

Sirius' own grin faded as he nodded slowly, his own eyes still on the crackling fire.

"You got that right."

Draco hesitated. "H-has it ever gotten this bad before?"

Sirius shook his head slowly, and then shrugged and smiled again.

"You know, I could use a butterbeer right about now."

"Okay," said Draco, slowly. "How do you intend on getting one?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows at him. "Hasn't Dumbledore ever told you about Hogsmeade Village?"

"Yeah, but—oh, _no!_ "

"Pardon?"

"Absolutely not!" Draco jumped to his feet. "Are you kidding? We're on the brink of getting _expelled_ , you crazy git! You want to add 'sneaking out at 2 in the morning' to your record?"

"Relax!" said Sirius, dismissively. "We're not gonna get expelled. You for sure aren't—you've got Dumbledore to cover for you. And McGonagall loves us."

"Didn't look like it."

"She'd be bored out of her mind if we weren't here to make life fun for her all these years. Besides, no one will even know that we're gone. If you forget, James' cloak is just upstairs!"

"None of the bars at Hogsmeade are even open at this hour!" hissed Draco.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at him. "Actually, Madame Rosmerta closes at 3. She's the one in charge of The Three Broomsticks."

Draco hesitated. "O-okay but—look, let's just…slow it down a bit, okay Sirius?" Sirius sighed. "Another time."

"Fine, fine, another time," he mumbled.

Draco sighed of relief.

"If you were James, this conversation would go differently," Sirius added, quietly. "The risk of getting caught is what would've made it fun for him."

Draco sighed and sat back down.

"I imagine he'll be pretty miffed when we don't show up tomorrow after breakfast," he said.

Sirius nodded. "Not as miffed as he'd be if we actually _were_ expelled."

At this, Draco turned to look at him, and without hesitation, blurted out, "What was in the letter?"

Sirius' eyes fell to the carpet.

"Nothing I haven't heard before," he said in barely more than a whisper.

"Well then why did you explode this time?" said Draco.

Sirius looked up at him.

"Because I've heard it too many bloody times now."

Draco nodded.

"You probably don't know how it feels," Sirius began, his eyes back on the flames, "To be so disconnected from your family and yet so near them all…to…to be the only one who doesn't have it all wrong…but yet be powerless to do anything about it."

"Actually, I can imagine," said Draco before he could stop himself. But luckily, Sirius did not pick up on it. He was too distraught at the moment and just continued staring at the fire.

"My cousin Andy is the only one in my family who is not like the rest of them," he continued. "But everyone else…"

"Do you still talk to her?" Draco wondered.

Sirius frowned.

"No, she's out there, living her own life," he answered.

"How old is she?"

"Uh…twenty-four, I reckon." He paused. "I think you'd like her—she's a laugh."

Draco nodded. "W-when did it all change for you and Regulus?"

"Years ago—look, I don't want to talk about this now. Let's just go to sleep."

He got to his feet and started for the staircase. Draco followed. Just before they reached the door to the dormitory however, Sirius turned to look at him.

"Can we…keep this between us?" he asked, his voice very low. "I don't want to keep having this conversation."

"Yeah, sure thing," said Draco.

Sirius nodded and then led the way into the dormitory. They quietly got into bed and spent the next couple of hours trying to get some kind of sleep, for the day they had awaiting them tomorrow.

Breakfast was a subdued affair for the Marauders and Draco. Nearly everyone in the Gryffindor table was staring at Sirius, who kept his head bent over his cereal bowl. He and Remus had not exchanged a single word on the way out of the common room. Sirius had talked to Wormtail before they'd left and it looked like the two were on good terms again, as Draco had predicted. But Remus was too invested in his copy of that morning's Prophet to talk to Sirius at the moment. So Draco resorted to eating quietly, and tried not to think about what Dumbledore would say to him at their next lesson, regarding the fight that Draco had supposedly been a part of—or so McGonagall thought.

About ten minutes before they'd finished, a young boy who looked to be in third year or so, walked up to their side of the table. Remus looked up from the Prophet and smiled at him.

"You got anything for me?"

The boy handed him a small white envelope and then blushed instantly. "This one's for him."

He held out another white envelope identical to the first one and looked up at Draco for a split second before running away. Draco stared.

"It's George," Remus told him, laughing. "He's just really shy. Here." He handed him the letter and then proceeded to open his own.

"What is it?" said Draco, tearing his envelope.

"Slughorn's dinner party invitations," said Remus in a mocking sort of way.

Draco unfolded his letter and read.

 _Monday, September 21, 1976_

 _Dear Mr. Draco Black,_

 _It is my greatest pleasure to invite you to the opening dinner party of the year for the Slug Club. Kindly report to my office on the third floor at 8 o'clock on the night of October the first._

 _Sincerely yours,_

 _Professor Horace Slughorn_

"What's it say?" Sirius asked.

"Dinner party at 8 on October the first," Remus muttered.

"Swell," said Draco, unenthusiastically, and he tossed his own invitation aside.

"It looks like it should be really fun!" said Wormtail, but Draco shook his head.

Soon, breakfast was over and students began to head out of the Great Hall with their bags and their talks about lessons. Draco glanced at the others nervously, and together, they got to their feet and began to walk towards McGonagall's office on the third floor. They had no idea what was awaiting them, and walked in silence, not needing to speak their thoughts for each was thinking the exact same thing. What if they _were_ in fact expelled? What then?

Draco could not recall something like this ever happening in his own timeline, so he had nothing to compare it to. Truth be told, he had never seen McGonagall so furious—at least not with him. Back in his old life, his parents would've been able to get him out of this no problem. But here, he had no parents that could sweet-talk his way through life. He had Dumbledore, yes, but he also had no real caregivers, and this thought seriously haunted him as he and the others stopped in front of McGonagall's door and Remus knocked three times.

The door swung open at its own accord and the boys filed in. Standing at the center of the office were Snape, Regulus, Mulciber and Crouch. McGonagall was sitting behind her desk, looking as stern as ever.

"Glad you all could make it," she told them, shutting the door behind them with a wave of her wand.

"Professor," Remus began, but she interrupted him.

"There is nothing you can say now, Mr. Lupin, I have made up my mind."

He fell silent and nodded.

"As I was telling your Slytherin friends before you boys arrived," she began, "Your behaviour yesterday was totally and completely unacceptable." The boys nodded collectively. "Should it ever happen again, you will find yourselves out of Hogwarts before you can say 'But'." Wormtail looked up at McGonagall.

"So you mean we're not expelled then?" he said in a high voice.

McGonagall stood up.

"No, you are not expelled. _But_ , you _will_ be punished. And I know exactly how, so follow me."

She made her way around the desk and exited the office. The boys looked round at each other but followed her quickly. She brought them all the way up to the seventh floor and finally stopped before a classroom Draco had never been in before. They filed inside, and then looked around. Draco gasped.

The whole of the classroom had been enchanted to look like some sort of a large cathedral, not unlike what he had seen in the Room of Requirement all of his last year. All sorts of random objects—from winged catapults to Fanged Frisbees to bottles of various liquids to cloaks and jewels and thousands and thousands of dusty old books. The objects had been clambered on top of each other to form alleyways and roads bordered by teetering piles of broken and damaged furniture. Draco fought the urge to ask if they were in fact in the Room of Requirement, before he realised that it was located on the other end of the hall, and that underneath all the rubbish, this was just an ordinary classroom.

"Uh, Professor," said Mulciber.

McGonagall turned to look at the eight boys standing before her.

"Welcome to detention!" she said. "I understand that most of you have had detention at least once before, so you are probably aware of the rules…no fighting, no talking, no shouting. Well, such rules do not apply today."

"Sorry?" said Sirius.

"Today," said McGonagall, turning back to the piles of rubbish. "You will be working together to clear and organise this clutter." She turned back to the boys. "Talking will most definitely be allowed and is in fact _encouraged_ , because your detention will not end until you boys have worked things out."

"And if we don't?" said Snape.

Professor McGonagall smiled at him curtly.

"Well then I guess it's the last man standing who will be let out," she said, simply.

The boys either gasped or raised their eyebrows at her, and she sighed.

"You boys obviously have some serious issues with each other that drove you to act like a band of hooligans, and I will _not_ cover up for you again. Therefore, you will stay here and work as long as it takes for you to solve your ridiculous differences."

"Look," said Mulciber suddenly. "Professor, I appreciate what you're tryin' to do here, but I honestly don't see how we're just gonna walk out of here today all happy to braid each other's hair."

"Well, you better hope that's how you'll walk out of here today, Mr. Mulciber," she told him. "You have a good 7 hours ahead of you, so you'd better get to work."

"Now hold on a minute," said Crouch, suddenly. Everyone turned to him. "What about classes?"

"You eight have been excused from all classes for the day," McGonagall answered.

"A-and food?" said Wormtail, nervously.

"I held a prefect's meeting last night and I have a volunteer who'll be taking care of that for you in a few hours," she told him. "I'll be back at 4 o'clock this afternoon to check if you boys are ready to act your age."

Sirius folded his arms and sighed. McGonagall raised her eyebrows at him.

"Shall I notify Mr. Potter that he will not be receiving any visitors today?"

"No!" cried Remus, Sirius, Wormtail and Draco at the same time.

"Uh, no that's alright, Professor McGonagall, we'll see him afterwards," Remus added hastily.

McGonagall sighed and made for the door. Suddenly, she turned back around.

"Before I forget, I shall be needing your wands for the day."

There was an instant uproar from the boys, but McGonagall held her hands up to silence them.

"This is _detention_ , and so I will be _requiring_ your wands. Hand them over."

Remus was the first to give his, followed by Wormtail and then Regulus. The others stood there awkwardly.

" _Wands_ , boys," said McGonagall.

Snape hesitated, and then handed his over. As soon as he did that, the rest of the Slytherin boys gave up theirs. Sirius rolled his eyes and passed his along too, and then Draco turned to McGonagall and she looked at him expectedly.

"I don't think Professor Dumbledore would want me to give up my wand, professor," he told her. "What if there's an emergency and I have to defend myself?"

Over her shoulder, Remus was urgently mouthing " _What are you doing?!_ " and just to his left, Mulciber was looking rather amused.

" _Wand_ , Mr. Black," said McGonagall, looking impatient. "I assure you that whilst you are here, nothing will happen to you."

"I'm not so sure," said Draco, glancing over at the Slytherin boys. But McGonagall looked like she was not to be tested that day, and so Draco sighed and handed his wand over to her. She turned to leave.

"Uh professor," said Remus, stopping her again. "I was a bit…uh, surprised that I didn't get called to the meeting last night."

"You are still on the Prefect's Staff, Mr. Lupin, if that's what you're asking," she told him with a small smile.

"Uh, am I?" Regulus wondered aloud.

McGonagall turned to him, hesitated, and then nodded and left.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Regulus, mostly to himself.

Sirius leaned against a shelf of books and sighed. "Not off the staff then, are you?" he asked Remus.

Remus shook his head.

"Told you," Sirius muttered, a hint of resentment in his voice—probably the aftershock from last night.

Crouch moved to sit on top of a desk and Mulciber tried the door. It wouldn't open. Groaning, he leaned against the wall and faced the others.

"Well this is just great," said Mulciber. "Just because you two animals can't bloody control yourselves, we're stuck here forever… _without_ our wands. I can't even hex any of you now!" He glared at Sirius and then at Regulus, who in Draco's opinion, was looking just as upset as Sirius had last night.

"I mean, what are we supposed to do?" Mulciber added.

"Clean," said Remus, picking up a large book and placing it on top of an even larger book in a neat pile.

"With our _hands_?!" cried Mulciber, and he pretended to vomit.

"It won't kill you," Remus muttered without looking at him.

"This is bloody pointless if you ask me," said Crouch over from his desk.

"We _didn't_ ask you," Sirius muttered.

"This room's been enchanted by McGonagall," said Regulus suddenly. "When we're done cleaning it, she'll just vanish all the objects and it'll be an empty classroom again."

"So what's the point of keeping us here?" said Crouch.

"So we can learn to get along," answered Snape. He then scoffed. "It's the perfect punishment—McGonagall is a genius."

"She is," agreed Remus, "And we'll just be a bunch of idiots if we don't start working soon, so let's get to it."

"Why?" said Crouch.

Draco stared at him. The kid sure liked to mouth off to others. Remus also looked at him.

"Because it's what we're supposed to be doing," he told him.

"Well I don't like doing what I'm supposed to," said Crouch, simply.

"Yeah, this is stupid!" Mulciber agreed, now folding his arms like Sirius. "I say we just wait until that prefect comes and then leave."

"Why not leave now?" said Crouch, and he actually made to get off the desk until Snape added, "Because she's locked the door, you idiot, now sit down."

Draco was actually surprised to find that Crouch did not insult him back, but instead did what he was told.

Mulciber tried the door again but it was no use. He groaned and leaned against it, a pained expression on his face.

Wormtail cleared his throat.

"Something you wanted to say, fatty?" said Mulciber.

"Hey, shut up, you!" cried Sirius.

Draco's heart skipped a beat because at the same time that Remus shot at Sirius "Oh so _now_ you stand up for your friend!", Crouch shouted "Don't tell Mulciber to shut up, you twit!"

Ignoring Remus completely, Sirius took a step towards crouch, but Draco shouted "ENOUGH!" and Sirius, glancing sideways at him, sighed and moved back a step again. Remus gave him a cold look and then returned to Wormtail.

"What were you gonna say, Pete?" he asked, kindly.

Wormtail looked nervously at the boys and then at the floor.

"I was…just gonna…say that…maybe we should w-work out some kind of…cleaning plan…"

"Why?" said Crouch. "It's not like we're _actually_ gonna clean."

"That's exactly what we're gonna do," Snape contradicted, and he picked up a broken old grandfather clock and tossed it at Crouch, who caught it instantly.

"I have a better idea!" said Mulciber, brightly. "How about _you_ boys clean," he looked from Draco to Remus to Sirius to Wormtail, "And _we'll_ just sit here and watch?"

"Oh, brilliant!" said Sirius, sarcastically. "But you know what'll be even better? If I come over there and kick your pathetic arse!"

"Oh I'm sooo scared now!" laughed Mulciber.

Remus rolled his eyes and proceeded to pile books on top of each other. Wormtail moved to help him.

"He's right though," said Snape, suddenly, and Draco stared at him incredulously, wondering how he could ever defend that git of a friend of his. Snape moved a few steps towards Sirius and folded his arms. "If you two," he turned to look at Regulus, "hadn't been so bloody stupid, none of this would've happened and we'd all be in Potions or wherever right now."

"Whatever you say, Snivellus," Sirius muttered.

Before Snape could retaliate, Regulus spoke up.

"Look Sev, no one asked you to step in!"

"He's got a point," said Draco. Everyone turned to look at him. "Well it's true! No one asked any of us to step in. _We_ chose to do it, but neither Regulus nor Sirius told us to come in and help them kill each other."

"If we hadn't stepped in, one of them _would've_ killed the other," Remus pointed out, and the boys muttered their agreement.

"So don't step in next time," Sirius said, simply, and with these his last words for the morning, he turned his back on them and began untying some rope that was knotted around a rusty-looking sword.

Remus, Wormtail and Draco moved to the pile of objects and each picked something up. Regulus joined on the other side. From the corner of his eye, Draco saw Snape hit Mulciber across the head.

"OW!" he cried.

"Get to work," Snape ordered.

Crouch jumped off the desk and joined Mulciber just on the other side of Regulus. Snape soon followed.

For the first little while, they worked in total silence, each boy either untying ropes or scraping off dust or piling books or polishing silverware. Draco was surprised that everyone was actually doing something. He'd expected a little more resistance, at least from the Slytherins. But then, the silence broke.

"What d'you reckon these are used for?" Mulciber asked Snape, holding out a small, wooden instrument for him to examine.

"Incense," said Snape and Remus at the same time.

They glanced at each other and then quickly got back to work.

"Incense," repeated Mulciber, looking mortified. "Like…like when brothers and sisters make out?"

Everyone froze.

"How thick _are_ you?" Sirius shot at him.

Mulciber's grin faded. He clearly did not like receiving hate from Sirius.

"Thick enough to beat your boney arse," he answered, boldly.

"Incense, not incest," Draco intervened before Sirius could retaliate. The boys looked up at him. "It's a common muggle object—it's meant to produce sweet smells."

"Who are you again?" said Crouch.

"You know exactly who he is, you miserable sod," said Sirius.

"Oh that's rich, coming from the aggressively violent lunatic who landed us all in this pathetic detention," said Mulciber.

"Stop it, Mul," said Regulus.

"No, no, there is no need to defend me now," Sirius told him. Regulus looked up at him, confused. "It won't make me forget."

There was silence.

"You guys ever read Hamlet?" said Mulciber, conversationally.

The boys looked up at him.

"Uh…what?" said Crouch.

"Hamlet," repeated Mulciber. "A shag buddy of mine said she had a muggle friend who had to read it in school—it's by this Shake person or whoever…supposed to be a really dramatic play and all."

"Huh," said Crouch. "And this relates to our conversation because…?"

"Well there's these two brothers in the play," Mulciber began. "Actually, they're not in the play. They're mentioned—one of them is dead in the beginning and the other supposedly killed him but you don't find this out for sure until much later in the play—"

"What's your point, Mulciber?" said Snape.

"Well I was just thinking that those brothers remind me a lot of our Black friends here," said Mulciber, smirking at Regulus who ignored him and continued scraping the dust off a particularly large book.

"Yeah, because we need some Shake person to tell us that we have issues," Sirius muttered.

Beside him, Remus smirked.

"It's _Shakespeare_ , by the way," Draco finally said. Again, all the boys looked up at him. "William Shakespeare. He's a famous muggle writer who died ages ago—supposed to have been a literary legend."

"How do you know all this?" Snape asked him.

Draco thought. Should he tell the actual truth about how Aunty Bellatrix had been a part of a muggle raid and had brought their possessions back home for him to look through, or just stick with another lie?

"I…they made us read it at the orphanage," he ended up saying.

"Hold on!" said Mulciber, tossing the incense-producing object aside and walking towards Draco. "You mean to say that you come from a _muggle orphanage_?!"

"Where've _you_ been for the last month?" said Snape.

"But—you're a Black!" cried Mulciber, practically shouting in Draco's face.

"Yep, that's right, he's a Black," said Sirius, who was busy folding a sweater that was draped over a basket atop a bookshelf. "He's a Black and we're all just so thrilled for him to have joined this one big happy family! Another normal person that'll be heavily corrupted by a group of pureblood maniacs who think that to be Black is to be practically _royal_."

"It is," Crouch pointed out, and he patted Regulus on the back. Regulus looked down at the floor.

Mulciber turned back to Draco again.

"So how come you grew up in a muggle orphanage then, and you were raised by Dumbledore and everything?"

"L-leave him alone!" Wormtail called, but Mulciber continued to watch Draco with fascination.

Remembering all those times that he reminded him of how stupidly like his father he was, Draco scowled at him.

"I don't recall signing a contract that said I had to report that to _you_ ," he snapped.

Mulciber's stupid grin faded, and behind him, Crouch howled with laughter.

"The new kid's got attitude!"

"Stop it Junior," said Regulus. "You're making a fool of yourself."

"Man, I don't care!" said Crouch, who was still laughing hard. "This is stupid, you know? I'm not gonna sit here and play along with that hag's game."

"Don't insult McGonagall!" cried Remus, who stepped away from his work station and glared at Crouch. "You're forgetting that I'm still a prefect, and when we're done with this detention, I could make you pay for your insults!"

"What are you gonna do, deduct house points?" said Crouch, lazily.

"Man, shut up!" Draco blurted out before he could stop himself.

Everyone stared at him.

"Again, _who_ _are you_?" said Crouch, nastily.

"I'll be your worst nightmare if you don't just shut up already," Draco threatened.

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.

"Thank you, Draco," said Remus.

Draco nodded and returned to his work.

"What is McGonagall doing, sticking us here to kill each other?" Snape muttered. "I can't believe I'm stuck with you idiots all day."

Sirius turned to him.

"Well, believe it, Snivelly!"

At this, Snape tossed a wool scarf at the junk pile and approached him. "Call me that _one more time_!"

Remus and Draco instantly forced themselves between the two, Remus facing Sirius and Draco facing Snape.

"Walk away," Remus told Sirius. "It's not worth it. Just walk away."

"Come on," Draco told Snape. "Let's take a walk."

He pulled him away, though it took much force. Snape finally ended up following him and they walked through some of the alleyways until they reached a point where the others boys' conversations were slightly muffled.

"Damn, that's too much tension for a Monday morning," Draco commented.

"Yeah," said Snape, awkwardly.

They stood there in the middle of the alleyway and Draco placed his hands in his pockets again and glanced at the piles of objects around him.

"Wish we could get outta here," Snape said in a low voice.

"Yeah well, the day's only just started," said Draco. "We've still got a lot ahead of us…" he bit his lip. "So just try not to kill anyone until we get outta here, okay?"

Snape smiled, and then caught himself in the act and quickly grew serious.

"Yeah okay."

He turned to leave.

"Wait!" cried Draco. "I….um…well, just wanted to say thank you for making the others help…you know, with the cleaning and stuff."

"Yeah," said Snape. "I get to be their mummy for the day. How gorgeous."

He left, but before Draco could follow, Regulus appeared from the end of the alleyway.

"Hey," he said, quietly.

"Hey," said Draco, stunned.

Regulus' eyes fell to the floor again. He did that a lot. It was something that Draco had noticed over the last couple of days…and strangely, it bothered him a great deal. It was like…the kid was not even trying to stand up to his bullies. It was just easier to give in to everything that was expected of him, and not ask any questions. Cowardly was what it was, if he was being really honest.

"I…feel like I owe you an apology," Regulus began.

Draco frowned.

"When McGonagall announced your name back at the Sorting Ceremony, I was shocked 'cause I didn't think that we had anymore relatives. And then when you were sorted into Gryffindor, well…shock just pretty much hit its peak. And Sirius and I were ignoring each other at the time but he told me to meet him one night so that he could ask me to write to our family and tell them about you…and I admit…it was nice, you know? Talking to him again, even if it was just about you…But he was curious, and so was I, so I wrote to them and my mother responded very quickly and said that they'd be sending someone to interrogate you. And…well, it's like I said, I never knew that it would be Bellatrix. She's one of my least favourite cousins—she actually frightens me a lot." Draco laughed. "Anyway… I guess I just wanted to say that…I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It's fine," said Draco almost instantly.

Regulus glanced up at him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, "said Draco, smiling softly. "It's hard to let in strangers, especially when you're supposed to have known them your whole life."

"Yeah," laughed Regulus. "Very true."

They stood their awkwardly for several more minutes.

"S-so," said Regulus.

"Why do you hate your brother so much?" Draco blurted out, and Regulus, looking startled, glanced backwards to make sure no one was coming. "I mean, seriously—that's messed up, man."

"I don't hate him," he said, very quietly. And when Draco raised his eyebrows, he added, "I don't particularly like him but…" he sighed. "I didn't—necessarily—mean all those things I said yesterday."

"Well then why did you say them?"

"Cause I was mad!" Regulus moved to sit next to a bookshelf and Draco followed. He sighed and buried his face in his hands. Draco waited. "Things were always so difficult for our family…Sirius was always different from everyone else, even at a young age. Our parents never said anything about it but they could tell—we all could. It…it wasn't until after his sorting that things _really_ changed." He lifted his head and looked at Draco. "He became like a sort of outcast in our family. First, it was just Christmases and summers that they acted all weird…but then as the years passed, it was everyday…to the point where they hardly ever talk to him anymore."

"I don't imagine he fancies talking to them either," Draco pointed out.

Regulus did not smile at this.

"It drove a wedge between us," he whispered. "I didn't want it to but it did. It…I can't explain it. But in our family, there's no 'us' against 'them'. It's more like…every man for himself. I dunno, I suppose that makes me a terrible person, huh?"

"No," said Draco, shaking his head. "It just means that you have it harder than the rest of us, that's all."

Regulus stared at him incredulously, but then he nodded and smiled softly.

"So," he said, after a moment's silence. "I heard that you're also in the Slug Club now."

"Uh yeah I guess I am," said Draco. "You're in it too?"

Regulus nodded.

"At least it won't be so terrible if we're there together," Draco suggested. Regulus smiled at this, and again, nodded. "Is Snape in it too?"

"No."

"But from what I've gathered, he's like…the best Potions student in sixth year."

"Yeah but he likes to keep to himself and I think Slughorn senses this. That's why he's never asked him."

"I see," said Draco. His eyes then fell on the shiny green and silver Prefect's badge that was strapped on the front of Regulus' robes. Regulus followed his gaze to the badge and then smiled shyly.

"Congrats, I guess," Draco said.

"Thanks," said Regulus.

"Your parents must be very proud."

"Y-yeah, they threw a party just before the end of the summer to celebrate. So, you really grew up in a muggle orphanage then?"

Draco started. "Uh…yeah."

He wondered whether Sirius had been present at this party, and if so, how the Black family guests had reacted to his _not_ making prefect.

"Huh. What's that like, coming from a muggle atmosphere?" Regulus asked.

Draco paused.

"It's um…pretty different from life at Hogwarts."

"Hmm…well, my parents are probably gonna want you to come home sometime and learn the proper way of being a Black."

"The 'proper' way?"

"Yeah, you know, like what you're supposed to say to people when you're outside…how to talk…how to treat your inferiors…"

"Inferiors?" Draco repeated. "Regulus, what the hell are you talking about?"

Regulus stared at him. "It's just…the way it is…you know, being a Black."

He wasn't sure why it was surprising him to hear any of this at all. His mother must've gotten it from _somewhere_ …but he supposed it must've just been Sirius…hanging out with him so much lately must've blinded Draco from the fact that the Black family was no different from the Malfoys—perhaps, even worse.

"You shouldn't say things like that, Regulus," Draco finally said, lowering his voice a great deal. "There will come a time when you'll really think otherwise."

"Hey, calm down, Draco, it's really not that big a deal!" said Regulus, smiling again. "It's just the way it works. You're new to it so you don't know yet. Don't worry, you'll meet them and you'll understand." He stood up. "You'll get it soon enough."

Draco also got to his feet and shook his head, but Regulus was already headed back down the alleyway, leaving Draco there to ponder over all the brainwashing that this kid had undergone at this point.

When he got back to the other boys, he found that most of them had stopped working. Crouch was sitting atop a desk again, Regulus was leaning against a bookshelf, Sirius was sitting cross-legged on the floor and bouncing a small ball against the wall, and Mulciber was staring at the ceiling. Only Remus, Wormtail and Snape were left working. Draco joined on Snape's other side and began helping him fold the clothes that were sprawled all over the shelves. They worked in silence until Mulciber finally said, "I'm starving."

"Yeah, when's lunch?" said Crouch.

"We got here twenty minutes ago," Remus pointed out. "I don't think lunch will be for another while."

"I believe I was talking to my _Slytherin_ mates," Crouch snapped without looking at him.

Having had enough, Draco threw down the piece of clothing he'd been working on and turned to look at Crouch. Snape tried to grab his arm so he wouldn't say anything, but he moved away from him and approached Crouch. Noticing this, Crouch raised an eyebrow at him.

"Something you wanted to say?"

"Yeah, do you have to be such an arrogant little prat all the time?" shot Draco. "In case you haven't noticed, you're one of the _younger_ ones in this room, and here you go mouthing off to _us_!"

Crouch looked startled by these words because his mouth fell open a little and he looked lost at what to say. Draco eyed him for several moments, before cryptically adding, "You probably have some serious issues at home, don't you? That's why you feel the need to lash out on everybody all the time."

"You filthy little—"

"Junior!" cried Snape, moving away from his pile of junk and grabbing the boy by the arm. "A walk?"

Crouch tried to object but Snape pulled him away, and together, they disappeared down one of the alleyways. Draco stared after them until he felt a tapping on his shoulder and jumped. Remus was standing just behind him with a small smile on his face.

"Want to take a break?"

"Yeah okay," said Draco, and he followed him to where Sirius was sitting. Wormtail joined them shortly after.

It wasn't long before Snape and Crouch returned, and when they did, Crouch looked like he didn't fancy talking to anyone. He seated himself in the corner and opened a random book from a random shelf, burying himself in it. Remus and Wormtail only watched him for a few minutes before returning to their own practice of sitting and doing nothing. After several moments of this, Mulciber sighed heavily.

"I'm so _bored!_ " he whined.

"Yeah, the day's gonna be long," Snape agreed, also taking a seat on the floor.

There was silence.

"Has Dumbledore mentioned when the opening match for the Quidditch season will be?" Regulus wondered out loud.

"It's supposed to be October 24," answered Remus.

"Who's playing?" said Mulciber.

"Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," said Remus.

"How do you know all of this? You aren't on your house's team, are you?" said Mulciber.

"I'm a prefect," said Remus, quietly. "It is the duty of a prefect to know little things like these."

"So? Regulus is a prefect and he doesn't know shit about what goes on in this school!" laughed Mulciber.

The boys smiled slightly at this and Regulus blushed slightly.

"So what _is_ up with you always knowing everything?" Mulciber asked Remus again.

Remus looked at him and shrugged.

"I like serving the school."

"Kissing arse is what it's called," Mulciber corrected.

Remus said nothing.

"What about you?" said Sirius.

Mulciber turned to look at him.

"What about me?"

"Well, you're clearly not a part of any teams…you're not a prefect and you're not on Quidditch, as far as I know…so what do you do here, besides study? Oh, and attack innocent students, of course…"

A smile crossed Mulciber's face and Draco felt himself shudder. He really did hate him.

"Things," Mulciber answered Sirius. "I do things, okay?"

"Yeah, we all know very well what kinds of things," Sirius muttered.

Remus gave him a pointed look and Sirius sighed and leaned against the wall.

"Well it's not like you care about anything other than Quidditch," Snape said, suddenly. "And making my life miserable of course."

Sirius looked up at him and smirked.

"Yeah, you know what? You're absolutely right. I get up every morning and think, 'Gosh, how can I torture old Snivelly today'?"

"Okay Sirius," said Remus, giving him another warning look.

Sirius shrugged and leaned back against the wall again.

"What about you?" said Mulciber, and it took Draco a bit longer than it should've to realise that he was talking to him.

"What about me?"

"What's your deal?" said Mulciber. "What do you come here to do? I mean, it's a bit strange, don't you think? You come to this school in sixth year…no one's heard of you before…you're a _Black_ and you're sorted into Gryffindor instead of your proper house…I mean, you've _got_ to have a good story, so let's hear it then."

The boys all sat up and laid their eyes on Draco, who sat there, not knowing what the hell to say that would satisfy all sets of ears. They were all so different that there was no right answer to this question. No matter what he said over the next few seconds, someone was bound to be displeased. So the question was…how to get out of this?

"I…" he said, looking round at all the boys watching him expectedly. "I'm just here tryin' to understand why you all have more drama between the seven of you than Dumbledore's had in his whole life."

Apparently, this was the perfect answer he could possibly give, because every single one of the boys in that classroom looked pleased. Some even grinned at each other, as though their bickering was something to be proud of. Draco smirked.

"Okay so we fight a lot," said Crouch, speaking up for the first time since his 'walk' with Snape, during which Draco was sure he'd been smacked. "Big deal. It's not like it'd be any other way."

"Why wouldn't it be any other way?" Remus wondered.

"Maybe cause we belong to two completely different houses?" said Mulciber.

"Two houses that have had it for each other for centuries," Regulus added, quietly.

"You know what," said Wormtail, who startled Draco slightly because he'd forgotten that he was sitting just next to him. The boys turned to look at him. "My theory is that it's not the two houses that have had it for each other all these years…but the people _in_ those houses."

There was a pause.

"You're right!" gasped Mulciber. "You're absolutely right! My bed hangings, for example, can't _stand_ Lupin's bedside table!"

"Man, don't be such a dick!" said Snape as Mulciber burst into howling laughter. "It's clear he didn't understand you!"

Wormtail reddened instantly.

"That really was unnecessary," Remus pointed out.

"He's right though!" said Crouch.

"It's just how it _sounded_ when he said it," Regulus quickly added, a little smile on his own lips.

"Oftentimes, you can read between the lines to grasp the real meaning of a sentence," said Remus with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Mulciber let out a cold laugh.

"Do you have to be such a killjoy all the time?"

"Enough, Mul," said Snape, but even as Draco glanced up at him, he looked too tired to argue any further.

"You don't always have to defend him," Crouch told Remus.

"He's my friend," said Remus, coldly.

"Yeah, but if you always defend him, he'll never learn how to fend for himself."

"He shouldn't have to!" cried Remus. "He shouldn't have to learn to defend himself against you idiots— _you_ should just stop making it your priority to bring down everyone around you!"

"Oh great, he sounds just like McGonagall," snorted Mulciber to his Slytherin friends. A sick smile crossed his face then and he cocked an eyebrow at Remus. "How long you two been shagging anyway?"

Remus flew to his feet at the same time that Draco and Sirius did, and together, they held him back as he struggled to get past them and tear at Mulciber, who was still grinning stupidly from his corner.

"Hard to control yourself in a fit of anger, isn't it?" Sirius hissed in his ear as he pushed him away and away until Remus was on the other side of the alleyway.

Letting out an almost animalistic growl, Remus wrenched himself free and glared at Sirius, who was looking slightly anxious now.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Okay, Moony? Let's just…go sit down."

Remus turned to Draco, who sidestepped himself because he had no idea what the hell had gotten into the kid. And then, Remus' eyes fell on Mulciber, who had stopped laughing.

"Fuck—you" he hissed, and without another word, he left.

Draco glanced at Sirius with a question on his face. Sirius put his hands in his pockets and stared after Remus.

"Well?" Draco prodded. "What was that about?"

Sirius started. "He…h-he gets like that sometimes…" he sighed. "It's fine, it'll pass. Just let him be."

He turned and sat back down and resumed hitting the opposite wall with a small yellow ball. Wormtail was looking very anxious over in his corner, while the Slytherin boys were now discussing Remus thoroughly. Feeling agitated, Draco went after him.

It took a while to find Remus through all the twisting alleyways of rubbish. When he finally found him, he froze. What was he supposed to say to him exactly? He wasn't supposed to know anything about his condition, so how could he be sympathetic without giving it away?

"Oh," said Remus, finally noticing him. He was sitting on a window ledge and looking out at the Quidditch Pitch which could be visible from here. "H-hi."

"Hi," said Draco, approaching him. He too, took a seat on the ledge and faced him. "You alright?"

"Yeah," said Remus, nodding. "Yeah, I didn't really mean to lose it back there…just got…"

"Yeah," nodded Draco. "I got…too."

Remus smiled at him sadly, and then leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes.

"Tired?" said Draco, watching him anxiously.

"A bit," he nodded. "Tired of all this bickering and nonsense, that's for sure."

"Too much tension for a Monday morning," Draco repeated his words from before.

Remus opened his eyes to look at him, and then a split second later shook his head. "It's too much tension for a lifetime."

Draco hesitated, and then nodded. They sat in silence for a long time, both of them looking out the window at the distant mountains or the sparkling lake. The Quidditch pitch was currently deserted.

"I wonder how James is doing right now," sighed Remus.

"He's probably fuming with anger that we haven't stopped by yet today," Draco predicted.

Remus let out a small laugh. "He'll understand once we tell him everything."

Draco frowned. "Wait, I thought Sirius said—"

"Sirius _always_ says not to tell James, and then he ends up caving and telling him himself. It's always been like that."

"Huh," said Draco. "And _do_ you think that James will understand?"

"Yeah," said Remus, dismissively. "He will—Sirius and Regulus has always been one of those things…kind of like James and Snape."

"Then why were you so upset last night?"

"Because Sirius could have acted better."

Draco bit his lip before asking the next question, knowing perfectly well that Remus might not take it well. "How has McGonagall helped you so much?"

Remus' eyes widened just a fraction, and then he grew serious and looked at Draco.

"You never read Hamlet by William Shakespeare, did you?"

 _This_ , Draco sure hadn't expected. He tried to object but only a nervous laugh came out.

"W-what are you talking about? Of course I did," he finally croaked.

Remus smiled softly and turned back to the window. "If you'd read it, you would have corrected Mulciber when he said that neither of the brothers actually appear in the play." He paused to look at Draco. "One of them is the _villain_ in the play, so he's definitely present throughout. Mulciber didn't read it—he just listened to this friend of his ramble about it so that he could shag her. I know because _I've_ read it. And so has Lily."

"I've read it too," Draco whispered, though he knew that Remus didn't believe him.

But, knowing though his look was, Remus only smiled again and then stood from the ledge.

"Come on, let's go back before they all kill each other."

With his hands in his pockets and his head slightly bent, Draco followed. He didn't know _how_ he could've missed it, but he was sure Remus knew something (or was at least starting to get suspicious). _Of course_ Draco hadn't read that stupid book. He would never read any muggle material. It had just been lying there in the pile of junk that Bellatrix had brought back from the raid, and he'd picked it up for literally seven seconds and then tossed it back into the pile. And now, it was clear, Mulciber also hadn't read it…which was very characteristic of him, considering he obviously loathed anything and everything to do with muggles.

But Remus…he was growing suspicious of Draco, just as Draco was openly suspicious of him—and starting to wonder why he hadn't revealed his condition to him yet…it had been three weeks already. Draco glanced up at the boy walking in front of him, and was just about to add that he'd read that Hamlet book a while ago and must've just forgotten it, when they turned the corner and a voice Draco had come to know too well was saying, "I'm sorry, boys, but those are my instructions and I intend to follow them."

Draco's eyes widened and he froze. Lily Evans was standing by the closed door with a tray of food levitated just to her left. She looked up at him and Remus and smiled warmly. Then, when Draco did not return the smile, hers faded. Snape had been right…

This was going to be a looooong day.

* * *

"Took you guys long enough," Sirius told Draco and Remus, but they didn't hear him.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Draco shot at Lily as he and Remus moved back into the center of the cluttered room, where all the boys were now on their feet.

Behind Lily, Mulciber was slowly moving towards the door.

"I've brought lunch," Lily responded.

Draco's eyes fell on the scarlet and gold prefect's badge on the front of her robes and he sighed. So _this_ was who had volunteered. He should've known.

Remus moved forwards and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks for being here." He let her go. "I swear I would've exploded without normal human contact soon."

She gave him a small smile and then looked round at the boys.

"I have a free period after lunch, which means that for the next three hours, I'll be here," she announced.

"Welcome to the party then," said Sirius.

"Or you could just go," said Crouch, suggestively. Lily's eyes fell on him. "It's not like we want you here."

"You could let _us_ go!" Regulus exclaimed suddenly.

Lily opened her mouth to object, but was interrupted by Mulciber cursing loudly. The boys looked round at him. He had tried opening the door but had failed again, and was now leaning against it _again_ , with an even more pained expression than before.

"I swear—my father _will_ hear about this."

Draco's heart stopped. It was an ordinary sentence—there was nothing special about it. But hearing it being said from the side…without actually saying it himself…Had he really sounded like such a pretentious snob every time _he'd_ said that?

"Well," said Lily, waving her wand so that the tray of food moved to the center of the room and landed softly on the floor. "I suppose it's time for a lunch break."

The boys hesitated, but then took turns moving towards the tray and grabbing a plate full of mashed potatoes and turkey, and a cup of pumpkin juice. They took their seats on the floor in various corners and Lily pocketed her wand and joined beside where Remus and Wormtail were sitting. Draco offered Sirius his orange, but Sirius shook his head. He hadn't taken any food, and Draco doubted he even would.

"So what has Professor McGonagall said for you to do?" Lily asked.

The Slytherin boys glanced at each other and then at Snape, as though awaiting his permission to speak to Lily. Snape however did not respond. He, like Sirius, had not touched the tray of food and was now looking even more pained than he had in all the time that Draco had so far known him as a teenager.

"She's asked us to clear up this mess and make it a bit more organised," Remus answered.

Lily looked around and then dug her fork into her turkey. "It looks like you've gotten so much done already."

Sirius laughed.

"What you boys been doing here this entire time? You could've cleared at least half of this mess ages ago!"

"Fighting," said Snape, but Lily ignored him.

Draco found that she was also avoiding _his_ eyes too. She probably didn't want to be reminded of how hypocritical she was. It probably tortured her, knowing that she was less than perfect—perfect obviously being her lifetime ambition.

"Well why didn't you use your wands to—?"

"McGonagall took 'em all," answered Regulus.

"She didn't think we should be assisted by magic today," Snape added.

Again, Lily ignored him. This time, her eyes actually did fall on Draco, and then she quickly looked away from his angry scowl.

"So have you boys had a chance to talk then?" Lily asked Regulus and Sirius.

They looked at her with incredulous expressions. "Oh come _on_ ," she added after a minute. "That's why McGonagall has you all locked up in here. You know that, right? It's not like she actually wants you to clean. She wants you to work things out."

"Yeah, we got that," snapped Mulciber.

Beside him, Crouch was staring at Lily as though she was an alien that had infested their protected chamber.

"Well?" Lily said, her eyes still on Sirius.

He stared at her. "I have no interest in talking to him."

"But you boys are brothers!" she cried, looking round at Regulus, who was staring at a spot on the floor.

"It doesn't matter," said Regulus.

"Of course it matters!" gasped Lily. "It matters more than you'll ever know! Do you know have idea what I would give for my sister to talk to me again?"

"You have a sister?" said Regulus, who was obviously desperate to change the topic.

Lily nodded. "She's a muggle."

"Ah," said Mulciber, snapping his fingers. "Typical muggle-born situation. One is a witch, the other is not, so they fight and never speak to each other again, am I right?"

He let out a cold laugh and then grew serious at the warning look on Snape's furious face and returned to his food. Lily cleared her throat.

"You guys really should work things out—it's for your own good, you know. There will come a day when you'll regret having fought so much."

"Look Evans, I appreciate what you're saying, but just save it," said Sirius, lazily. "It's not gonna change anything."

"Watch your tone, Black," Snape shot at him.

Sirius turned his head to look at him.

"Make me, _Snivellus_."

"See? It's things like this!" cried Lily, waving her arms in front of her. "Look at how you boys talk to each other! I'm sure that if you just _tried_ being nicer…that includes you, Mulciber."

Mulciber's eyes widened and he turned to Snape. "The mudblood is talking to—"

"OKAY, THAT'S IT. COME HERE YOU LITTLE TWIT!"

Sirius threw himself at the boy and Draco, Remus and Wormtail immediately leapt up to their feet and went after him. It took several minutes of shouting before they finally managed to pull him away, with Regulus' help. When Sirius noticed that Regulus was one of the boys pushing him away from the laughing Mulciber, he quickly wrenched himself free from his grip.

" _Stay away from me_ ," he hissed at Regulus, who stared at him for a few seconds before nodding.

"Fine then. Have it your way."

Lily, who had clasped her hands to her mouth, was now standing just next to Snape. Noticing this, she quickly moved away from him and sat back in her corner. Sirius cursed under his breath and returned to his spot.

"Talk about anger management issues," said Mulciber.

Crouch let out a low whistle, which everyone ignored.

"You're not cool."

There was a moment of silence.

"None of you are cool."

Draco looked up at Wormtail. He was standing just by the door and looking very flustered. It had probably taken him all the courage he could muster to say those few words. He looked a mixture of nervous, anxious and furious all at once.

"Sit down, Pete," said Sirius, sighing.

"N-no!" cried Wormtail.

The boys looked up at him.

"I…I will not sit down, Sirius! I'm… I'm tired of this! You guys are always f-fighting!"

"Look kid, keep out of it, will you?" said Mulciber, lazily. He then turned to Remus expectedly. "Well? Aren't you gonna defend him?"

"Shut up, Mul," said Snape.

"Ouch," said Mulciber, his eyes still on Remus who was looking extremely agitated. "What's the matter, Lupin? Gonna have another fit? Or are we trying to control ourselves this time?"

"You heard the man, _shut up_!" cried Draco.

Mulciber's grin faded slightly, and then he shrugged and resumed his eating. Beside him, Crouch was smirking into his own plate. The two gits obviously thought they were too cool for this detention, and it took every bit of willpower Draco had to keep himself from tearing at them. They really did deserve to be punched—Sirius had the idea right.

"Okay," said Snape finally. "We should come up with something to tell McGonagall when she comes at 4 o'clock."

"Like what?" said Remus.

"Like how we're all best pals now," said Snape. "Feed her whatever it takes to make her let us get the hell outta here. If I'm ever stuck in this room with you lot again, it'll be too soon."

"That's not going to happen," came Lily's voice.

Snape started. Her talking directly to him must've been like Christmas morning because his whole face brightened up before he frowned slightly.

"What's not going to happen?"

Lily put her plate down and folded her arms across her chest.

"You boys are not going to lie to McGonagall…not if I have anything to say about it."

"What do _you_ have to say about it? You're not even a part of this!" cried Mulciber.

"Easy, Mulciber, or Sev will hit you across the head again," said Crouch, mockingly.

But Mulciber ignored him. He was now glaring at Lily with quite a dangerous expression.

"I'm a witness here," she said, simply. " _You_ boys can lie to her, but it doesn't mean that I'll lie for you."

"Sure it does," said Regulus. Lily stared at him. "Look, we'll just…we'll say that all this time together made us realise that the separation of houses makes us natural enemies but we shouldn't give in to this stereotype and blah, blah, blah."

"Yeah, we'll say that our two Black friends here worked things out," said Mulciber, counting off on his fingers, "That Sev and Evans are besties again, that Lupin and new Black like to take walks…Pettigrew is not a factor…"

The Slytherin boys—apart from Snape—started laughing at this. Draco glanced up at Wormtail, who was growing redder by the minute and looked to be on the verge of tears now.

"That's really not called for," Remus told Mulciber, but he ignored him and continued on laughing.

"Look!" cried Wormtail, interrupting their echoing laughs. "Just because I'm not a part of the same group that _you_ are…just because I've never attacked anyone or even aced a test in school…it d-doesn't mean that I don't matter!" Everyone was now watching him, and the boys had stopped laughing completely. Mulciber was looking very fascinated to hear this speech. "I…I've always been the outcast…the little brother…I've always been the one that everyone picks on and jokes about and teases. And over the years, I've grown used to it. But…I _do_ matter. I _am_ a factor. You can t-try as hard as you want, but people like me… _loners_ , as you would call them…we don't forget. We don't f-forgive! And…if you're not happy with us being at Hogwarts then…you should just…LEAVE!"

And with that, he ran down the alleyway. Draco, Remus and Sirius jumped to their feet to follow him, but Draco stopped the other two and gave them a reassuring nod before continuing after Wormtail himself. He knew _he_ had to do this, and it would be easier to do alone.

Wormtail hadn't gone far, so it was fairly easy to find him. He was sitting on the floor with his back to Draco, next to a pile of what looked like muggle car tires draped in velvety curtains, atop which sat an old music box. Draco hesitated before taking a seat next to him. Wormtail, who had obviously been in the middle of crying, jumped at the sight of him and quickly wiped his face on his sleeve.

"It's okay," Draco told him, slightly irritably. "I'm not gonna tell anyone."

Wormtail looked up at him with sparkling eyes and then buried his face in his hands again.

"There you are!" cried Lily, running behind them.

They both spun on the spot and she quickly joined them on the floor and put her arm around Wormtail. Draco stared at her with fury.

"What are you doing here?" he muttered.

"Helping," she told him, her eyes on Wormtail. "Look Peter, it's okay. You were absolutely right about everything you said in there and…I really think it made a difference on the boys!"

Draco stared at her incredulously, and when she gave him a warning look, he quickly added, "Oh…uh, y-yeah. Definitely. Huge difference."

Wormtail looked up at the pair of them.

"I wasn't trying to make a d-difference," he said, in a small voice. "I just wanted them to leave me alone already."

"That's fair," said Lily, nodding. "You _should_ have a voice. You shouldn't let them bully you like this."

"But," said Wormtail, in an even smaller voice. "What they said was true…I'm _not_ a factor."

Draco scoffed.

"Man, don't listen to them—Mulciber's a dick." He ignored Lily's look of disapproval at his use of language, and then added, more softly, "Hey." Wormtail made a noise to show that he was listening. "Do you have any idea how proud James would be if he saw you there today? For the first time since I've known you…you acted like a true Gryffindor." Wormtail looked up at him. "It took a lot of guts to say those things, especially to group of boys like _that_. You really surprised me there today, Pete. I'm sure James would say the same if he was here."

Wormtail smiled at him and nodded, again wiping his face on his sleeve. Beside him, Lily was watching Draco with a sort of awed expression on her face…almost like she couldn't believe her ears.

"You're right," sniffed Wormtail, finally getting to his feet.

Draco and Lily followed.

"You're right," he repeated. He then looked at Draco. "Thank you."

Draco gave him a small smile and then Wormtail sighed deeply and headed back down the alleyway. Draco made to follow, but was stopped by Lily tugging at his arm. He turned to face her.

"Can we talk?" she said.

Draco hesitated, and then nodded. He slipped his hands into his pockets and stared at the ground.

"That was really noble what you did just there," she told him. "Where did it all come from?"

"I like the kid," Draco said, shrugging slightly. "It's not fair to him that he's downgraded by society so much."

At this, Lily nodded. And then, she took a step forwards. "Look, I think I owe you an explanation." Draco looked up at her. "I volunteered to supervise today because...because I wanted a chance to talk to you."

" _Me_?"

"Yes, _you_. We got off to such a _terrible_ start and I really don't like having problems with anyone and it's been bothering me and I just don't want to make any more trouble and—"

"Why d'you ignore Snape again?" Draco shot at her.

She hesitated. "W-what?"

"You heard me," said Draco.

Lily bit her bottom lip anxiously. "Look, I get that you and him are starting to be friends and all…I've seen you two talking here and there and that's wonderful! I'm always for inter-house friendships. But…" she paused. "What goes on between Severus Snape and myself is really none of your business and so I would greatly appreciate it if you would just stay out of it!"

"Whatever," said Draco.

He turned on his heel and followed Wormtail's suit. Lily was just behind him. When they got back to the group of boys, Sirius was saying something to Wormtail and Crouch and Mulciber were laughing about something. Snape uncrossed his arms as Lily came back and watched her move to sit beside Remus, who was finishing up his lunch.

"How long has it been?" Regulus asked the room at large. "I couldn't find any working clocks in this junk."

"I think it's about 1 o'clock now," said Lily.

Remus heaved a great sigh and then got to his feet and began cleaning again. Wormtail rushed to help him at once, and shortly after, Draco and Sirius were working too. It wasn't long before the Slytherins got back to work as well, and Lily pulled her wand out and caused all the food plates to vanish. Pocketing it again, she leaned against the wall and folded her arms, watching the boys.

"Hold on," said Mulciber, now dropping a wooden log onto a broken grandfather clock and causing it to clutter noisily. "You've got a wand!"

"Uh yes, I do," said Lily, pointedly.

"I would think it'd be pretty obvious, given that she _levitated_ our lunch here," Crouch sniggered, but Mulciber ignored him and took a few steps towards Lily.

"Well give it here!"

"Excuse me?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay fine, don't give it here," said Mulciber, folding his own arms. "Make the door unlock."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because we want to get the hell out of here, that's why!" cried Mulciber, angrily.

"Right," said Lily, nodding. "Well, as _tempting_ as that does sound, I think I'll pass."

"Give it—"

"Back off, Mulciber," Snape ordered from his corner.

"No way!" cried Mulciber. "Look, this is _servants'_ work. We shouldn't be sitting here, doing all this pointless rubbish!"

"Could you just listen to him? _For once?_ " said Draco, giving Mulciber a cold look.

Mulciber returned the look and then scoffed and got back to work. Draco did the same. It was a while before he realised that Sirius, who was working just beside him, was watching him.

"What's up?" he muttered.

"Nothing," said Sirius, most unconvincingly.

"Spit it out!" said Draco.

On the other end of the room, the Slytherins were talking amongst themselves, immune to their conversation.

"Just wondering when you and Snape became such great pals," said Sirius, shrugging.

"We're not," said Draco.

He could feel Remus' eyes on him too, but didn't dare meet them. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him.

"You've been defending him all day," he pointed out.

"Only 'cause he seems to have some kind of authority over those brainless gits over there!" Draco invented wildly.

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh and nodded. Glad to have gotten out of that little pickle, Draco got back to work.

"So Black!" Crouch called again, and Draco groaned before turning to face him. "You never did tell us how you came to be here."

"What's there to tell?" said Draco, simply. "I was raised in a muggle orphanage where I received private tutoring from Dumbledore until he said I could come study here."

"But why so late?" Regulus wondered.

"It does seem a bit strange," Snape added.

"Fascinating though," Remus said.

Draco smiled at him before answering, "I suppose Dumbledore didn't want me in touch with my… _family_ "—he looked at Regulus and then at Sirius—"before I was ready."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Mulciber. "How the hell did Dumbledore have the right to make that decision for you?"

"He raised me—he had every right to," Draco contradicted.

"Well _no_ , technically he didn't," said Snape.

"Yes he did," said Lily, suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her, especially Snape. She blushed slightly. "Draco here was sort of like an adoptive son for Dumbledore, wasn't he? So I suppose it _was_ Dumbledore's call to make."

"Seems selfish to me," said Mulciber. "Seems like he just wanted one Black to himself so that he could corrupt him with his crazy ideals and his muggle-loving attitude."

Lily scoffed and folded her arms, but said nothing. Draco shrugged.

"Suppose it's no use talking about it now, is it?" he said, and then he turned back to work.

At long last, time became a factor again—the afternoon sun began to peak through the windows, illuminating some of the piles of old and broken junk. For the most part, the boys worked quietly while Lily either watched them or sat reading. They all knew that this detention was completely pointless, but it was also a way to help pass the time until they could finally leave, and so they continued working.

Finally, after what felt like ages later, Lily shut up her book again and looked up at the boys.

"So are you two planning on patching things up anytime soon?" she asked Sirius and Regulus.

They stopped working and turned to look at her.

"Are you?" Draco asked her.

She stared at him.

"I don't know what you mean."

"I'm talking about you and Snape," he clarified, more loudly so that everyone—particularly Snape—heard.

Lily sighed. "I thought I told you that that wasn't any of your—"

"—business, yeah, I know," said Draco, rolling his eyes at her. "I just don't get why you're so keen on getting these two to work things out when you refuse to do it yourself—seems _hypocritical_ , don't you think?"

Lily's face instantly turned the same colour as her hair. She glared at him, and Draco found it hard to suppress a smirk. He didn't know why but he found it so satisfying to play with her like this. Perhaps it was because she reminded him so much of Potter and so, in a way, he felt like he was back to his own timeline, torturing his greatest school nemesis.

"It's just a thought," he added, turning his back on her again.

"Well we're not here to talk about Severus and I," said Lily, her voice breaking slightly. "We're here because of Sirius and Regulus Black."

"Keep telling yourself that, but you know that it's beside the point," said Draco.

"What do you mean?" snapped Lily.

He turned to look at her again. "I _mean_ , Professor McGonagall knows very well that not all of us were involved in that fight. She shut us all up here not just because of these two. She shut us here so we could work things out and stop all this Gryffindor/Slytherin bickering that's been happening, from what I've gathered, for ages now. _You_ are just as involved here as the rest of us, so stop acting like you're not."

"Don't you go pointing fingers at _me_ now!" cried Lily.

Remus put a hand on her shoulder but she ignored him. "No, it's not fair for you to do that, okay? You don't even know me!"

"Oh, but I do," said Draco. She stared at him. "I know you very well. Why, you're Lily Evans—Gryffindor Prefect, miss goody-goody, always hammering students about doing the right thing, always at the top of every class, and always, _always_ kissing up to your favourite teachers. Have I missed anything?"

Lily glared at him.

"You—don't—know— _anything_ —about—me."

At that moment, the door to the detention room clicked open. Professor McGonagall was standing with her wand stretched out and a confused expression on her face.

"How is everything going over here?" she asked, her eyes moving from the Slytherins on the left to the Gryffindors on the right to Draco and Lily at the center.

"Fine, professor!" said Lily, changing her expression alarmingly quick to that of bright happiness. "I've monitored their progress over the last few hours and I really think they won't be having any more problems."

"Is that right?" said McGonagall, her eyebrows raised.

None of the boys said anything. She looked from Sirius to Regulus.

"And you two?"

"And them," said Lily before they could answer. "I think the boys have clearly learned their lesson."

Professor McGonagall narrowed her eyes at them and then sighed and pulled out their wands from her cloak pocket. Each of the boys hurried to take their rightful wand.

"Never again," she warned them, and they nodded vigorously. She hesitated, and then moved so they could step out the door. "Very well then, you may return to your common rooms."

Relieved, the boys began to file out. The Gryffindors stayed behind and waited as Wormtail tied his shoelaces. Professor McGonagall turned to Lily.

"Thank you so much for helping out today, Miss Evans."

"Oh it was really no problem," said Lily, talking very quickly.

She gave Draco a dirty look and followed the other boys out the door. Just before leaving too, Draco turned in time to see McGonagall wave her wand and make all the useless and broken objects in the room disappear, making it an ordinary but empty classroom once again. He sighed. Everything that had happened that day—all that had been said and all that had been done—had just vanished along with those many worthless objects. Come tomorrow, nothing will have changed. He was sure of it.

* * *

 **Thanks for your time and until the next weekend . . .**


	10. Support

**Author's Note : After this chapter, we will be taking a short break to carefully plan out and write the next couple of chapters which are definitely important. We'll be back by the end of the month and thank you in advance for your patience! **

**Also, don't be upset. To make it up to you, we plan on releasing a "special" chapter in mid-October. Stay tuned...**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 10: SUPPORT

"Anything?" said Peter, hurrying over to Draco as he climbed in through the portrait hole.

Draco shook his head. Peter sighed anxiously and moved back to the couch by the fireplace. Remus crawled through the portrait hole shortly after. Draco whirled around to look at him, but Remus only shook his head and hurried back to the table by the fire to consult the Marauder's Map again.

"I know I've said it before, but I really mean it this time," he muttered. "I am gonna _kill_ Sirius."

"Yeah, I'll help you," Draco mumbled, taking a seat next to Peter and waiting as Remus folded and unfolded the map in all corners.

It was Monday night—or rather, Tuesday morning. The 2AM moonlight was peeking in through the windows, illuminating the almost completely dark and empty common room. Draco, Remus and Peter had noticed that Sirius had disappeared only when they'd gotten back to the common room after their detention. They'd tried looking for him but he was absolutely nowhere to be found on the map. It was as though he had left the castle grounds altogether. Peter had suggested telling McGonagall this, but Remus insisted that it was not a good idea.

"But what if something's happened to him?" said Peter in a small voice.

"It's Sirius— _nothing_ will have happened to him," said Remus.

Admittedly, Draco agreed. If Sirius had disappeared, it was totally and completely intentional.

"Lord, if he doesn't show up in an hour," said Remus, who now got to his feet and began pacing.

"He will," said Draco.

"You don't know that!"

"I do. Sirius knows we'll be visiting James later today. He won't miss it."

"But—"

"Look," said Draco, taking the map from Remus and folding it up under his arm. "You're tired—I can see it. Why don't you go rest, and I'll stay up and wait for him to come?"

"But I—"

"—will be happy to do as you ask, Draco," said Draco, smiling warmly. Remus sighed. "Go on, it's okay."

Remus turned to Peter, who also got to his feet.

"You'll wake us if anything?" Remus asked Draco.

"You'll be the first to know when he comes back," he promised.

Remus nodded, and then he and Peter climbed up the spiral staircase to the dormitory. Once they were gone, Draco smoothed out the map on the table again and narrowed his eyes at the tiny labelled dots. He searched for Sirius' name again, but after several minutes of this, sighed and closed up the map again. It was no use. If Sirius was in the castle, it would show. He must've left.

Feeling wide awake, Draco crept up the stairs to the dormitory—where both Remus and Peter were fast asleep—and snuck the invisibility cloak from out of James' trunk by the bed on the far left. He then snuck back out and pulled it over himself before exiting the common room altogether, the map still tucked safely under his arm. Breathing as quietly as he could, Draco trotted along the silent corridors. His only source of light was that of the moon and only about a handful of torches that were still lit. He turned a corner, climbed some steps, then turned another corner and climbed a few more until he reached the third floor. He stopped before the door to the girls' bathroom, looked around again, and then, pulling the cloak off, he let himself in.

As he had predicted, the bathroom looked exactly the same as it had back in his own timeline. It was as though no time had passed (or rather, gone backwards). The floor was still damp, as always, and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles burning low in their holders. The wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and the large mirror above the row of chipped sinks was still cracked and spotted. It was exactly the same bathroom where he had wept so many times before…

"Hello?" said a small voice from one of the stalls.

"Hey Myrtle," said Draco, in spite of himself.

Moaning Myrtle floated from out of the stall and moved towards him so she could get a better look at him. Draco stood there, cloak under one arm and map under the other. Myrtle surveyed him for several moments before she cried out, "Who are you?! I don't know you! Go away!"

She moved to hide behind one of the stalls.

"N-no, it's okay!" he tried, using the sincerest tone he could. "Really, it's okay! My name is Draco! Draco M—uh, Black."

"Draco M. Black?" said Myrtle, still refusing to come out from the stall.

"Y-yes," Draco stammered. "That's right."

"I know the Blacks," she said after a moment's silence. "Arrogant lot, they are!"

"W-well I'm not technically a part of the Black family," Draco insisted. "Not really."

Myrtle poked her head from out of the stall and narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm a Black, yes, but I'm also not a Black. I…I was raised in a muggle orphanage and Professor Dumbledore was my tutor this whole time."

"Dumbledore?" repeated Myrtle.

"Yes," said Draco. "I promise, I'm not gonna hurt you. Come out."

Myrtle hesitated, but then a split second later she moved from out of the stall. Though, she kept her distance.

"How did you know my name?" she asked.

"I've heard about you," Draco said, simply.

Myrtle let out a cold laugh. "That's a lie! No one talks about _me_ —they've all forgotten I exist!"

Draco suppressed a laugh at the 'exist' part, and cleared his throat. "Look, I've met a lot of the ghosts in this castle and so far, you seem like the nicest one. I was just hoping we could be friends."

Myrtle's eyes widened and just for a fraction of a second, a smile crossed her face. She then grew serious again.

"Well, I suppose we could," she said, stubbornly.

Draco smiled.

"Listen, Myrtle, you're probably wondering what I'm doing out so late." She stared at him. "I'm looking for my friend. He's disappeared."

"Well he hasn't come by here, if that's what you're asking," she said.

"No, I didn't think that he did," said Draco. "But…Myrtle, do you think that you could help me find him?"

She paused. "Well I don't know."

"Maybe you could try?"

She stared at the polite expression on his face. "Well I suppose I could."

"Great!" said Draco. "So, I have this map here, you see," he pulled it out from under his arm and unfolded it before her, tapping his wand gently on the cover and whispering " _I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good_ " so that the dots would appear. Myrtle floated a bit closer to him so she could have a look. "So this map shows the Hogwarts grounds and everyone who walks upon them. See here? The dots are labelled for each person. And here I am, standing right next to—"

"Me!" Myrtle exclaimed, looking rather excited now.

"Yes, that's right!" said Draco. "So, my friend…his name is Sirius. And I can't find him anywhere on the map. He disappeared over 8 hours ago."

"Perhaps he's left the school grounds," Myrtle suggested.

Draco shook his head. "I doubt he would. I'm just wondering…are there any other places in the school that the map is missing? It's still underway, you see. Perhaps we missed some spots where we could've looked for him?"

"Well where would your friend go?" said Myrtle, her eyes still surveying the old piece of parchment in Draco's hands.

"That's the thing, I haven't got a clue," said Draco, almost desperately. "I haven't really known him that long and so I don't know any place he would be…" His voice trailed off as he suddenly remembered where Sirius had wanted to go with him the other night. Draco quickly unfolded the corner of the map that showed Hogsmeade Village and skimmed through it. Nope, no Sirius there. He sighed and showed it to Myrtle again.

"So are there any rooms that haven't been labelled on the map?"

Myrtle looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "How should I know? I died before I even finished this school. I haven't been everywhere in the castle."

"Well maybe you listen to the other ghosts talk," Draco suggested, feeling slightly agitated now. This Myrtle certainly wasn't as… _understanding_ as the Myrtle that he'd known. Maybe students today tortured her even more, whereas in his own timeline, she was pretty much forgotten.

"The other ghosts don't talk to me," she said with a small whimper.

Draco sighed. "So nothing you can help me with then?"

Myrtle glanced at him and then at the map again.

"Well think about it," she said, obviously flattered that he was seeking her opinion on the matter. "If you wanted to go someplace alone, where no one could find you, where would you go?"

And then, it hit him. Hard. So hard, that he couldn't believe it hadn't hit him before. How _could_ he have been so stupid? Actually, how could _Remus_ be so stupid? Not long ago, he had hidden there himself! Draco looked at Myrtle with wide eyes.

" _Thank you_ ," he hissed, and wasting no more time standing there with her, he darted straight for the door whilst pulling the cloak over himself.

"Come back to visit me again!" she called after him, but he'd already left and was now halfway up the stairs to the fourth floor…then the fifth…sixth…He halted to a stop just before the wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy on the seventh floor. If he didn't know what the room became for Sirius when he'd entered it, then there was no way that Draco would get in now. He stood there, thinking. The Marauders knew about the Room of Requirement, surely. Or at least, Remus did. So why hadn't they ever added it to the map before?

Draco took a seat next to the tapestry and fixed the cloak so that it covered all of him. _Perhaps Remus didn't want the others to know about the room,_ he thought. Draco continued to watch the map, expecting Sirius to appear as soon as he emerged from behind the Room of Requirement, but hours seemed to pass and still, there was no sign of him. So Draco gently leaned his head against the tapestry and set the map on his lap. His wand remained in his hands as he slowly shut his eyes and breathed deeply.

The cool night air was blowing hard and he was back on the Astronomy Tower, pointing a shaking wand at the old man on the opposite end. Clear blue eyes were blinking at him sadly, while he stood completely frozen, contemplating whether or not to commit murder… _murder_. A shrill voice was shrieking in his ear to hurry up and he could feel the treacherous spell just on the tip of his tongue, but still, he couldn't do it. And then suddenly, Snape's face appeared just in front of him.

"Don't do it, Draco," he said. "Let me— _I'll_ kill him."

"No," Draco tried saying, but no sound came out.

He could feel Snape's long fingers slipping into his and grabbing a hold of his wand.

"No," Draco tried again, but still nothing came out.

Snape turned to Dumbledore.

"Draco."

Draco's wand rose into the air and pointed at the heart of the old man.

"Draco!"

Snape's mouth fell open and he was moments, perhaps seconds away from uttering the irreversible curse.

"DRACO!"

His eyes flew open and he gasped. A fresh sheen of sweat covered his face and his eyes had tears in them. Sirius was standing above him, looking positively frightened.

"A-are you okay?" he said, slowly and cautiously, as he levelled himself with Draco on the floor and stared at him as though talking to a mental patient.

Draco looked around the empty, sunlit corridor and then back at Sirius, whose eyebrows were now raised. The cloak seemed to have slipped off him and the Marauder's Map was on the floor now too, along with his wand. Following his gaze, Sirius picked up the wand and handed it to him. Draco took it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, helping Draco to his feet.

Draco started and looked around. "I…I'm just…" he wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his pajamas. "W-we were looking for you."

"All night?" said Sirius. "Wait, how did you know I'd be here? This room is not located on the map."

Draco looked down at the map in his hands and then up at Sirius.

"Uh D-Dumbledore must've told me about it once," he mumbled, handing the map to Sirius' outstretched hand. Sirius tapped it with his wand, making the various labelled dots that were now moving about the castle disappear, and then folded up the parchment and tucked it into his robes.

"Come on, breakfast is almost over," he told him, pulling Draco with him as they descended the hall.

"That was some nightmare, huh?" Sirius said.

Draco stared at him. "Y-yeah."

"You kept saying 'no, no!' in your sleep—I couldn't wake you up," said Sirius, climbing down the stone steps. "You okay though?"

"Mhm, I'm fine. Uh, why is the Room of Requirement not on the map?" Draco asked, desperate to change the topic. "You know Remus knows about it too, right?"

"Yeah," said Sirius, nodding. "We all do."

"Well then why is it not on the map?"

They turned a corner and climbed down more steps.

"Because it's unplottable," said Sirius, simply. "That's the magic of the room—it comes and goes as it pleases, or rather, as you please it to. So, how are you gonna attend classes today? You look like death."

"I'll be fine," Draco mumbled, following him to Gryffindor Tower and into the now deserted common room. They quickly changed and grabbed their bags before heading down to the Great Hall, where barely a handful of students were hurrying through a late breakfast. Remus and Peter were sitting at the Gryffindor table, looking very anxious. At the sight of Draco and Sirius walking through the doors, they jumped to their feet and hurried over to them.

"Where have you _been_?!" Remus hissed at Sirius, pulling him into a hug and then pushing him away. "Do you have _any_ idea what we went through last night—uh, is everything okay, Draco?"

Draco nodded vigorously, wiping his face on his sleeve again. Remus eyed him suspiciously for a moment before turning back to Sirius.

"Listen, I get that you're going through a lot but you can't keep doing this to us! You've got to tell us when you're—"

"James is waiting for us," Sirius interrupted calmly. Remus, looking outraged, made to argue but Draco shook his head at him and proceeded to lead the way to the hospital wing.

They were more than surprised when, ten minutes later, they arrived to find Frank Longbottom sitting in the chair next to James' bed. They were mid-conversation when Draco and the others interrupted. Frank smiled at once, while James looked slightly irritated.

"What's going on?" Draco asked.

"Just Quidditch talks," said Frank, letting Remus take his seat (he looked extremely peaky). "Do you know…I'm really pleased that you guys went with Aubrey. He's a fair flyer."

"Oh so you've met him already then?" said Draco.

"Well yeah, I met the entire team yesterday," said Frank, smirking. "While you blokes were in detention, I was posting the roster list on the announcement board…" His voice trailed off because of the grim expressions on Draco's, Remus', Sirius' and Peter's faces now. He looked from them to James, who was sitting in his bed wide-eyed and mouth hanging open. Draco, Remus, Sirius and Peter looked incredibly uncomfortable, and Frank let out a nervous laugh.

"Detention? What are you talking about?" said James once he'd found his voice.

"Um," said Remus, but even he did not know what to say.

Frank froze.

"Wait, don't tell me you didn't…I mean, surely you guys…" his mouth made a silent "oh" and then he smirked nervously. "Weeeelll, obviously you all have a _lot_ to catch up on, so I'll be on my way."

And with that, he ran out of the hospital wing, leaving the Marauders and Draco staring at each other.

* * *

"What was that about?" said James, his eyes mostly on Sirius.

"Uh it's nothing," said Remus, hastily. "It can wait. Listen, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," James mumbled, his eyes still on Sirius. "Pomfrey said I'll be released tomorrow morning."

"That's great!" said Remus.

" _And_ you have a free period tomorrow morning," Peter added, excitedly.

"Yeah it should be great, so what detention was Frank talking about?" said James.

The boys exchanged looks and he watched them fervently.

"I-it's nothing!" said Peter, suddenly. "It was just a misunderstanding but it's all over now. We're sorry we didn't visit."

"Just a misunderstanding?" James repeated, his left eyebrow raised. The boys nodded. "Okay…I thought you'd decided to ditch me and pull that prank without me."

"Never," Draco assured him.

James smirked. "Well, I can't say I wasn't surprised when you lot didn't even pop in yesterday…but at least that's over with now. The Quidditch team is set, I'm getting out of this hellhole—no offense to Madame Pomfrey—you lot remembered me, and the prank hasn't been done yet so I suppose now we can all—"

"Regulus and I got into a fight and it landed all of us plus three other Slytherins in detention all day yesterday!" Sirius blurted out, really, _really_ quickly.

James stared at him, and just next to him, Remus gave Draco a knowing look. Draco grinned slightly.

"Huh," said James. "So when I asked you guys if anything happened while I was here…"

"Yeah, yeah, we lied," said Sirius, dismissively. "Look…"

He delved into a detailed explanation of everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours or so…from the fight with Regulus about the letter, to the detention from McGonagall (and all the various mini battles that took place there), to his disappearing for the rest of the night, only to be found by Draco in the morning. James listened without once interrupting, and when Sirius was finally finished—Draco was surprised that he hadn't lied about one single thing—James turned to look at him.

"You okay?" he asked.

"M-me?" said Draco, not understanding.

"Yeah, you," repeated James. "I mean, that must've been some nightmare."

Draco gave him the same answer he'd given Sirius, but James' eyes continued to narrow at him.

"What was in the letter?" James asked Sirius, though his eyes were still on Draco who stared back at him with the most neutral expression he could gather.

"Yeah, you never did tell us," said Remus, turning around in his seat to look at Sirius.

"Things," Sirius mumbled. All eyes now turned to him. He sighed. "Guys, it's…look, I wouldn't expect any of you to understand, okay? I mean, I'm sorry, Draco, I don't mean to be insensitive to your situation, being an orphan and all that. And you too, Remus. I know you have your fair share of problems at home, but you two—" he pointed at James and Peter "—have it so perfect, that I really wouldn't expect you to understand!"

"Sirius," said James, boldly. Sirius looked at him. "I've spent 5 years now listening to you bickering about how miserable life is at home and how you just want to get the hell away from there as soon as possible. You've told me more stories than I can even care to count. Do you really think that, at this point, I wouldn't understand? I'm only your bloody best friend…"

"James, I know," said Sirius, sighing heavily. He collapsed on the bed next to his and buried his face in the pillow. "My mother said in the letter that the day I was born was the day I brought a deadly curse upon the family." Draco felt his throat tighten. "She said that she fought with my father the day I got my sorting and that she fought for me to be able to stay at home. He wanted me to leave." Sirius sat up and looked round at the boys, his face almost gaunt as he spoke. "Just picture it," he whispered. "An eleven-year-old boy…they wanted to banish an _eleven-year-old boy_ because of a sorting that was completely out of his hands…" he looked round at Draco. "Do you _see_ how screwed up this family is?" He turned to James. "Do you realise what they will resort to, to keep their name's reputation? How many children they'll banish and murder…how many tortures they'll cover up…how many times they'll pay some crooks off to take the blame for _their_ crimes…"

He put his face in his hands again and Draco noticed that his fingers were trembling. Unsure of what was coming over him now, Draco crossed the room and sat next to Sirius, placing his arm around him. The room was very silent for a long time, until James finally crept out of bed with Remus' help and moved to place his hand on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius looked up at him.

"I'm not mad that you got them all in detention," he told him, a smirk clear on his face now. "I'm mad that you lot did a detention without me."

Peter exploded into tiny laughs, followed by Remus and then Draco, until Sirius himself finally cracked a smile.

The rest of the day saw a great improvement in Sirius' mood. He was fairly quiet in Transfiguration and Defense, but after a particularly joyful Charms class, wherein the sixth years practiced Cheering Charms, he was all ready for Binns' dull History of Magic lesson. Draco however, had other plans.

Not at all worrying about getting caught, seeing as how Binns rarely ever looked up from his notes, Draco scribbled quickly into a spare sheet in his notebook and tossed it at Sirius, who was sitting in the seat next to his and lazily watching the professor. Sirius, though startled at first, took the notebook cautiously into his hands (expecting an interrogation) and frowned at it before a smile split across his face instead.

 _Any new girlfriends in your life?_

Sirius looked at Draco with almost sparkling eyes; he was obviously relieved for the distraction from the latest events, and Draco was equally as relieved to talk about something normal teenage boys worried about, for a change.

Sirius' tale of a "particularly exquisite creature from Hufflepuff" was without a doubt more interesting than Professor Binns' tedious recount of witch hunting over the century. It kept Draco from falling asleep altogether. After the lesson, which was their last for the day, Sirius met up with James in the hospital wing, where he'd also sent the team for an important meeting. He opted for Draco to join them, but he insisted that he'd have nothing to do there anyway and that he needed to finish his star chart for the astronomy lesson tomorrow night. So, while they were busy with the team in the hospital wing and Remus was giving Peter a tutoring session in the library, Draco decided to return to the seventh floor for probably the twentieth time in two weeks, hoping that today would finally be the day.

And he was right.

He turned the corner to the corridor opposite the one with the entrance to the Room of Requirement. There, sitting cross-legged with his back against the wall and his head bent over a book in his lap, was Severus Snape. He had been coming there for a while now to work on the Half Blood Prince's book. Draco had argued with himself about joining Sev and maybe convincing him to allow him to help, but had been too edgy to try talking to him, until now.

"Hey there," he said as he approached the boy on the ground.

Severus looked up at him and instantly shut the book in his lap.

"Hello," he said.

"Mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead."

Draco sat facing him, and Severus flipped the book so as to hide the title on the cover. Draco smirked at it.

"Glad you found a better spot to do this than the library," he told him. "Another day there and Madame Pince would've had your head for vandalising and such."

"Yeah," said Severus. "That's probably true. So um, what are you doing here?"

"Well I'm kind of bored so I thought I'd join you," said Draco, shrugging.

"Where are your friends?" said Severus, a hint of resentment in his tone.

Draco frowned at him, as though wondering for a second who he was talking about. "Oh um they're off doing some…stuff…listen, I heard what Slughorn was saying the other day about adding fluxweed to that hiccoughing solution and I think he meant to say seven portions, not six."

Severus stared at Draco for a second, before adding very quietly, "I know." He opened up the book to the page he'd been working on prior to Draco's arrival, and turned it so that he could see it clearly. Severus had scribbled notes along the margins of the page with the recipe for the hiccoughing solution, and the last thing that he'd written was the number 7 next to a crossed-out 6. Draco grinned at him.

"But how did you know that?" Severus wondered after a moment's silence.

"Oh I don't know," shrugged Draco. "Dumbledore must've told me about it once." He sighed and looked around the deserted corridor, his eyes landing on the door of one particular classroom he knew was empty. "So that was some detention yesterday, huh?"

"Yeah," said Severus, his eyes also on that door. "I don't think I've ever seen McGonagall so angry."

"Yeah me neither," said Draco before he could stop himself. Severus frowned at him, and Draco hastily added, "Sirius is doing much better today. How's Regulus been?"

"He's been fine," said Severus. "Should he be any different?"

"Well…it _was_ a big fight…" said Draco, slowly.

"Yeah, but it's all over now and there's no use in moping about it now, is there?" Severus pointed out.

Draco stared at him. "W-well, no…but they're brothers!"

"King Hamlet and Claudius were brothers and look what happened to them!" said Severus.

Draco stared at him.

"Yeah, I've read it," said Severus, dismissively, " _Unlike_ Mulciber."

Draco chuckled. "When did you read it? And why?"

Severus shrugged and looked down at the Half Blood Prince's book.

"Oh," said Draco, finally realising. His eyes fell on the book too and he frowned as he read the upside-down writing. "Oh, you might want to change that three to a six." He pointed at a spot on the page but Severus, to his great surprise, shook his head vigorously.

"Six will be too much—it'll set the whole solution on fire."

"Actually, it won't," said Draco. Severus looked at him. "Adding three extra will only increase the lifespan of the potion. "Borage explains the properties of fluxweed on page 70-something I think…he clearly states there that _nine_ is the amount that will surely set your potion on fire."

Severus quickly flipped to page 73 and bit down on his lip as he read through the massive paragraphs. Then, he looked up at Draco and hesitated before saying, very quietly, "Thanks."

"No problem," said Draco with a bright smile.

Severus flipped back to the previous page and crossed out the number three. Draco looked pleased.

"So I have an idea," he said, trying to keep his tone as casual as possible. "You're clearly very intent on fixing this book—"

"— _improving_ it," Severus corrected.

Draco nodded. "And we both have a free period on Monday afternoons…I don't suppose you want to meet up here regularly and work on it together…?"

Something about Severus' expression changed as Draco said these words, and his nod was very hesitant. Even after Draco said goodbye to him and headed back to his own common room, he replayed the scene in his head, trying to find what he might've said that set Severus off. He couldn't find anything wrong with his suggestion. On the contrary, it was friendly and quite innocent, and he sensed that he and Severus were already at that level where they could "hang out" as friends. What was his deal then?

The next day, Draco and the others awoke early so as to join James in the hospital before breakfast. James kept bothering Madame Pomfrey about letting him go, but she insisted that she needed to do one last checkup before she could. Seeing as how this would take a while, the boys decided to have breakfast there instead. They laughed about the latest rumours in the school while they ate, and then Madame Pomfrey finished up her checkup and declared James free to go. He practically hopped out of the bed with ecstasy, and looked as good as new. Shortly after, Remus excused himself for Arithmancy and Peter headed to Herbology, though both looked to be regretting having to go. With the skies looking pleasantly bright that day and the glory of having a full 2 hours until class, James and Sirius decided on taking their broomsticks out for a bit of air.

"You're serious…" said Draco as he watched them pull their broomsticks out of their things up in the dormitory. Both were smirking at him. "But you _just_ got out of the hospital for a _flying_ injury."

"It wasn't my flying that caused it," James reminded him.

"Still!" cried Draco. "Don't you think you should slow down a bit?"

"Relax, I'm good!" said James, waving his hand for Draco to follow them back downstairs.

"But—"

"Look Draco, James is totally fine," said Sirius. "He's had so many injuries before, this isn't anything new."

"I'm a flyer," said James, as they exited the common room and now made their way out of Gryffindor Tower. "It's what I do. I'm not going to stop doing it just because I had a small setback."

"That's dedication," Draco muttered, but neither of the boys heard him.

Once they were outside, they headed straight for the change rooms in the Quidditch pitch. There, James fetched one of the rusty school brooms and tossed it at Draco, who stared at him for a moment before nodding. _Well, it was bound to happen sometime_ , he thought. The boys quickly changed out of uniform (James and Sirius in their team robes and Draco in muggle clothes) and were in the air in no time at all.

Sirius had nicked some old balls (no doubt from the Room of Requirement) and he tossed them at James and Draco, while he himself flew to guard the goal hoops. James let out one triumphant yell before he dived for one of the hoops. Sirius caught the ball in time and laughed himself to tears while James cursed out loud and swirled in the air to try again.

"COME ON, DRACO!" Sirius cried out from the other end of the pitch. Draco was hovering mid-air with a ball in his hand. "SHOW HIM HOW A BLACK DOES IT!"

Draco looked down at the ball in his hand and then ahead at where Sirius was on his broom, his arms stretched out above him. Draco sighed. He knew that he was going to regret this…big time. Draco soared forward on his broom and he could see Sirius already preparing to defend the hoop that he was headed for. At the last second, Draco rerouted his broom for the hoop next door and performed an outstanding Finbourgh Flick, like he'd done only once before in his life (during a match in third year). The ball went straight through the hoop, followed by James' victorious yell. Sirius was still wide-eyed even after Draco retrieved the ball and flew over to him.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Sirius breathed, taking the ball in his hands while James moved to take his place as Keeper.

"I dunno," shrugged Draco.

"That's not an official Quidditch move," James confirmed. "You must've like…invented it yourself!"

Draco shrugged again. The regret of showing them this not-yet-invented move was definitely building up inside him now, but still, he could not shake the bit of joy he'd received from showing it off, knowing perfectly well that they'd react exactly the way that they had.

"Show me how to do that," James said at once. "What did you do exactly?"

"He basically twirled his broom so that it hit the ball and it went straight for the goal hoop," Sirius explained.

"Awe wicked!" cried James. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Uh sure," Draco mumbled, grinning to himself.

If only they saw what the Dionysus Dive was . . . perhaps he'd show them later.

Draco had to admit that flying conditions were actually very nice that day. The sun was shining high up in the clear blue sky, but not so blazingly that it actually blinded them. The boys flew for the rest of their free period until it was time to change and head back to the common room to fetch their books before the Charms lesson. The entire way there, James and Sirius took turns hammering Draco about why he hadn't joined the team and how there was still time and they could still eliminate someone and put him in. They looked almost desperate at this point, but Draco kept sticking to his answer, insisting that he had plenty to do without adding Quidditch to the mix. It was the truth, after all. When they finally arrived in Professor Flitwick's classroom, they saw that Remus and Lily were already there, both looking completely outraged.

"Professor Slyfield decided to surprise us with a pop quiz this morning," Remus grumbled when they asked what on earth was the matter.

Sirius rolled his eyes at him and directed Draco to their table.

"Poor Moony will give himself a heart attack one of these days," he muttered. "The bloke cares way too much about school."

Draco had to agree. He couldn't remember a single time (now that he thought about it) in the last three weeks when Remus did not have some kind of a book with him. Draco was all for being a good student—Dumbledore expected him to be anyway—but _this_ , he did not understand. This obsessiveness with being the very best at all things…it was the very thing that annoyed him most about Granger…and now, Lily Evans.

Charms that day was also very enjoyable because the NEWT students were continuing their practice on Cheering Charms. James however did not need any Cheering Charms to put him in a good mood. All the girls in the class—minus Lily—surrounded him the moment he came through the door and congratulated him on coming back from the hospital wing. He grinned and smirked and told stories of how much pain he'd been in, while Draco, Sirius, Remus and Peter watched him enjoy himself—Draco feeling slightly nostalgic at the memory of that being _him_ not too long ago.

There was only one small thing off about the lesson, and it wasn't even that big because Draco didn't feel uneasy about it at all (perhaps because of the Cheering Charms). At one point, he spotted one Hufflepuff boy whisper to a Ravenclaw one, both of their eyes on Draco. The Ravenclaw boy's eyes went round after he'd heard whatever it was that the Hufflepuff boy told him, and then they both looked away from Draco when they saw that he was watching them. Maybe Mulciber had decided to tell the whole grade that Dumbledore had kidnapped a Black to raise him with his own ideals. Draco shrugged.

After Charms, the boys grabbed a quick lunch in the Great Hall and then headed out into the grounds for some air. It really was a nice day, and they knew that such days were numbered, for the winter was slowly drawing nearer. They stretched out on the grass underneath a tree not too far from the lake and James and Sirius almost instantly delved into Quidditch talks. Rolling his eyes, Remus pulled out another book, and Peter gave Draco a bright smile. Draco returned it, though his was not as bright because the Cheering Charms were wearing off and he could feel various students' eyes on him now. He looked around the lawn and the groups of students quickly turned away from him and proceeded with their whispering…how many people _had_ Mulciber told?

"Beautiful day," said Remus, sighing happily.

"Anyone fancy a swim?" said Sirius.

"Not today," said Remus.

"Yeah, we're tired," said Peter.

Sirius shrugged. "James? Draco?"

Draco turned his head to look at him and gulped nervously. He began to absentmindedly stroke his left arm and waited for James to answer. Sirius turned to James.

"Nah, not today," said James, finally. "Don't forget, I'm a recent hospital patient."

"Don't give me that, there's bloody nothing wrong with you," said Sirius.

James smirked, and neither he nor Sirius noticed Draco letting out a sigh of relief. What was left of the Dark Mark on his arm was still clearly visible, and he'd had to keep his sleeves rolled down every day for the last few weeks…even when it had gotten incredibly hot.

Draco laid back on the grass and looked up at the clear blue sky. He still had Dumbledore's assigned homework to worry about, and admittedly, he hadn't given it a thought at all since Saturday. But seriously though…how did he expect Draco to just up and find a really happy memory? It was impossible, given the circumstances! Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath, searching. He had no idea what he was searching for…he wasn't even sure whether he remembered what it felt like to be really happy. But he knew that if he didn't give it at least _some_ thought, Dumbledore would lecture him. He would know. How? Because Draco was not _that_ good at Occlumency. That's how.

"Oy," Sirius said, snapping Draco out of his daze. "You looking forward to this Slug Club meeting next week?"

"Very much," said Draco, sarcastically.

Sirius smirked.

"I don't think it'll be all that bad," Remus admitted without looking up from his book. "The first one is usually pretty okay."

"How many meetings does he do per year?" Draco wondered.

Remus shrugged. "There's always a Christmas party though. You can invite someone to come with you."

At this, James and Sirius exchanged looks and then both quickly became very fascinated with what Peter was now drawing in his notebook. Draco stared at them for a long time, and didn't even notice the Slytherin gang walking right by them. The Marauders quickly sat up in the grass to face them, and the Slytherin boys stood for a moment, looking down at them. Then, the one at the very front—whom Draco _still_ did not recognise—nodded, and Mulciber stepped forward, his eyes on James.

"How is your head?" he asked.

James' jaw dropped.

"Why do you care?" Sirius shot at him, but Mulciber ignored him, and Draco finally noticed that his expression was actually very genuine. James seemed to have noticed this too because he cleared his throat and nodded.

"It's all better."

Mulciber nodded and then took a step back. Draco finally caught a glimpse of Regulus. He was standing just behind the older boys of the group with his head bent. He looked at Draco for a fraction of a second, before the boys turned to leave and he followed after them. Severus was walking alongside the kid, and on the other side of him was that prat Crouch. Draco stared after them, and it was only after they were gone that James finally spoke up.

"Okay, what the hell happened in that detention? Did you guys agree to some sort of truce that you're not telling me about?"

"No," Sirius told him in a dark voice. "I reckon Mulciber is playing us…don't forget what he did to MacDonald last year."

"Oh, _that_ I won't ever forget," James assured him.

Draco wanted to ask what exactly had happened to this MacDonald girl, but didn't get a chance to because the bell suddenly sounded from the castle grounds and the boys sprang to their feet and started to head back. As Draco, Remus and Peter made their way to Astronomy, Draco thought a lot about that detention. As it turned out, it _had_ made some sort of an impact…the boys seemed to have come to a silent agreement not to bother each other anymore. It was the first time since Draco had known any of them that they actually had a decent interaction, no matter how short. As the boys entered the classroom, Draco found himself wondering whether or not, in the world of 1976 where he did not exist, the boys had ever actually come to such an unofficial truce.

After Astronomy was Potions—the last lesson of the day. Draco, Remus and Peter arrived to find James and Sirius already at their table, surprisingly. They had never been early to a class before, so this was definitely a first. Slughorn was lurking in the back cupboards, in search of some ingredient that the students would need for that day's potion. Draco took his seat and pulled out his copy of _Advanced Potion Making_. But as he did this, he couldn't help but notice the many curious eyes that were on him now. He wasn't exactly a new student anymore…they'd all had time to adjust to his being the second Black to be sorted into Gryffindor… _and_ to him practically being Dumbledore's adoptive son…so why the hell were they still staring at him and whispering behind his back?

After Slughorn set the class to work on the potions, James meant to go to the storage cupboards to fetch the ingredients when Draco stopped him and volunteered to go himself. James looked slightly confused but sat back down, and so Draco stumbled out of his chair and hurried to the cupboard.

"Hello again," he said as he stopped just next to Lily, who was already piling ingredients into her arms.

Her eyes widened at the sight of him.

"H-hello," she stammered.

She looked like she was trying to decide whether she was mad at him or not, but eventually she let out a small smile, which Draco did not return, obviously annoying her even more.

"Need help with that?" he said, his eyes falling on the ingredients in her arms, some of which were at the risk of falling to the floor now.

"I'm good," she told him.

He stared at her.

"I must say, I'm a little surprised at you."

"About what?" she said.

Draco began pulling his own ingredients out of the cupboards. "About the way that you lied to McGonagall like that…didn't know you had it in you."

Lily's mouth fell open slightly. "What are you—"

"You know," Draco interrupted, "The whole bit about how we'd learned our lessons and Sirius and Regulus are the best of friends now."

Lily looked around to make sure no one was listening, and then lowered her voice. "I lied because—"

"Oh don't make excuses, Evans," said Draco, finally closing the cupboard and turning to face her. "Just admit it—you are just as bad and conniving as the rest of us."

He gave Lily no time to respond because he quickly turned his back on her and walked away.

"Got it?" James asked as Draco piled the ingredients onto the center of their table.

"Yep," said Draco, taking his seat again and glancing over his shoulder at Lily, who was still standing by the storage cupboards. "It's all taken care of."

By dinnertime, the staring and the whispering had completely gotten out of hand. Draco was now so aware of it that he subconsciously walked with his head bent, so as to avoid people's stares. None of the Marauders seemed to be aware of this though. Or, if they were aware of it, they were not willing to acknowledge it. Perhaps they knew what this was about…?

"Hey Snape!" Draco called as he spotted him emerging from the dungeons. The Marauders stared after him while he hurried over to where Severus now stood, waiting for him. "Listen, I was just wondering…"

"Look Draco," Severus interrupted suddenly. "I'm sorry but I have to eat quickly because I have this…uh…big paper to write for…Arithmancy…and it's due Friday so I'll see you later."

He hurried into the Great Hall, leaving Draco staring after him before he decided to follow. The Marauders were waiting for him at the Gryffindor table and he tried to avoid the stares from the students along that table as he moved to sit with them.

"What was that about?" James wondered, but Remus gave him a strange look and the boys all looked down at their plates at the same time.

"W-what's going on?" Draco wondered, looking from James to Sirius to Remus to Peter.

"Nothing!" said Sirius, innocently.

Draco stared at him.

"So what was it about?" Sirius asked, ignoring Remus' pointed look.

"I had to give him back notes that I borrowed," Draco mumbled. "Hey," he turned to Remus. "Do you…have a paper for Arithmancy that's due Friday?"

"No," said Remus. "But ugh…we have an Astronomy lesson tonight…it's Wednesday."

He groaned into his plate and the other boys looked away from Draco quickly. Draco pushed his own plate away, crossed his arms, and narrowed his eyes at Severus, who was sitting with his gang on the other side of the Great Hall. Something strange was definitely going on here . . .

After dinner, the boys decided to hang around the Entrance Hall only for a little bit. Remus of course made Sirius promise not to attack anyone, and Sirius let out a nervous laugh but made no comment. Draco took this time to watch the students his spot on the stairs. Some of them still snuck peeks at him whenever they thought he wasn't watching, and he could tell they were still whispering to each other…but what on earth about?

"You guys don't happen to know why I'm getting strange looks, do you?" he finally blurted out, turning to look at the Marauders.

James and Sirius froze during their card game and Remus bit his lip. Peter, looking extremely nervous, shook his head quickly.

"You don't know anything?" Draco said, more slowly.

This time, all four boys shook their heads. _Liars_ , thought Draco. Oh they knew. There was no question of it.

When the boys returned to the common room, they took their usual spot by the fireplace and stretched out in front of it, feeling too lazy to do any homework. Remus of course did not seem to have this problem because in no time at all, he was scribbling furiously into a notebook. James however looked like he was about to fall asleep, and Sirius was staring in the fireplace, apparently thinking. Only Draco seemed to notice how very tense Peter was looking. He raised his eyebrows at him, and Peter cleared his throat.

"C-can I ask you guys s-something?" he asked in a very, _very_ small voice.

"What's up?" said James.

"I need advice about something," Peter mumbled.

"Yeah?" said James when he didn't continue.

Peter took a deep breath. He was obviously very nervous about this.

"Well there's this girl…"

Sirius slowly turned his head away from the fireplace and grinned broadly at Peter. Remus looked up from his notebook too and James sat up quickly.

"Yeah?" he said, this time more enthusiastically.

Peter blushed fervently.

"H-her name is Adalyn Chappelle and s-she's a sixth year . . . in Ravenclaw . . ."

"Mhm…?" said James, still more enthused.

Peter was positively red now and avoided all the boys' eyes. Sirius looked like Christmas morning had come early and Remus looked genuinely happy.

"I was just wondering…if I'd maybe ask her out…"

"That sounds like a great idea, Pete!" said Remus before James or Sirius could say anything.

"But how would I go about it?" Peter asked, looking up at them this time.

The boys exchanged looks.

"Well, in _my_ experience," said Sirius, "Girls love it when you act like there's a ton of things you could be doing instead of going out with them."

"W-what?" said Peter.

"Oh yeah!" said Sirius. "It's absolutely true. Look, take it from me, man. You've seen how many hookups I've had, right? I know what I'm talking about."

"So what you're saying is to make the girl feel really bad about herself," said Remus.

"Exactly!" said Sirius, snapping his fingers.

Draco laughed.

"What?" said Sirius. "It's true!"

"Nah man," said James, shaking his head and moving to sit next to Peter. "What you really want to do is make sure that you look really good. It doesn't matter what you say…make sure you pull your hair back a lot when you talk to her. That'll work for sure."

" _Or_ you could just be genuinely nice and see if she agrees to meet you for the next Hogsmeade weekend," said Remus, simply.

There was a pause, and then James and Sirius burst into laughter before growing serious again.

"I'm tellin' you, it works _every time_!" James told Peter.

Sirius now joined on Peter's other side. "Yeah, do that, but also make sure that you show her that you have other options. You don't want to come off as sounding desperate or anything of the sort."

Remus rolled his eyes and took a seat next to Draco, who was looking very amused.

"Are you hearing any of this?" Remus asked him.

"Oh yeah," laughed Draco. "So listen, are you _sure_ you don't know what's going on? I've noticed people staring and whispering a lot today…"

Remus made a face before shaking his head. "No, I really don't. Sorry, Draco."

Draco sighed.

"Well I don't know," said Peter after hearing a mouthful from Sirius about how to get girls. "W-what do you think, Draco?"

The boys all turned to look at Draco.

"Um," he said, looking from each boy to the next.

Sirius then stubbed Peter's toe and Peter quickly jumped in his seat and said, "Um, never mind."

 _What the hell was_ that _about,_ thought Draco.

He looked around the common room at all the students going about their activities, some of whom were still watching him. Lily was sitting in the corner with a group of girls, one of them being Alice. Frank was having a loud Wizard's Chess tournament with a group of seventh-year boys in another corner. A couple of first-years were arguing about which ghost scared them the most in the castle. All seemed normal, but it really, really wasn't.

Soon, it was time to say goodnight to the others and head for that midnight Astronomy lessons. Draco had really come to despise Wednesdays now. As he followed Remus and Peter to the Astronomy Tower, his most hated place in the whole castle, he thought a lot about everything that had happened that day. Severus was acting strange…and then the Marauders started acting strange…and then people started whispering about him…so what had Draco blurted out without himself realising?

The following day did not see an improvement at all. On the contrary, it was far, far worse…because now, Draco could actually make out what everyone was whispering about…and he had never felt more humiliated in his entire life.

"I'm _not_ gay!" he repeated to the Marauders for about the hundredth time at lunch. "I SWEAR, I'M NOT!"

"It's okay, we're not judging!" said James quickly. "Seriously man, you do what you have to do."

"But I'm—"

"We'll accept you just the way you are," said Sirius.

"I—"

"We'll still be your friends!" said Peter.

"I'M _NOT!_ " Draco bellowed, and then he looked wildly around the Great Hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of Severus. He was not there.

Seriously, this had to have been the worst thing he could have ever done to him…what the hell did he think Draco had meant? He had only wanted to work on the Half Blood Prince's book with him! He had only wanted to make him trust him so that he could become his friend and maybe, _possibly_ , keep him away from that dark and twisted path that he was headed for.

It was the most humiliating day of his bloody existence…more humiliating than the time Potter had thrown mud at him and Crabbe and Goyle at Hogsmeade…more than the time Granger had smacked him across the face…more than the time that darn hippogriff had attacked him…or bloody Mad-Eye Moody (or rather, _Crouch Junior_ ) turned him into a ferret… this had to be the most embarrassing moment of his very being.

By nightfall, Draco could not take it anymore…the whispers…the stares…the assurances from the Marauders…it was too much. Feeling enraged, he spotted Alice sitting in the corner of the common room with a group of girls. Ignoring Remus, who was now promising him that James and Sirius would be on their best behaviour from now on and that they wouldn't tease, Draco marched up to Alice and said, "Can I have a word?" He swore that heads must've turned as he walked, but at that moment, he really didn't care. The greater their audience, the better.

Alice, looking slightly alarmed, nodded and moved away from the group of girls. She stopped at the center of the common room, where both she and Draco could now feel many curious eyes on them, and could practically hear people straining their ears to listen in.

"I'm sure you've heard the latest rumours about me," Draco began.

Alice blushed slightly.

"They're _not_ true," Draco assured her. She giggled. "They're not. I don't know who came up with such rubbish but I can promise you, I am completely straight."

"It's fine, Draco, I believe you," she said.

Draco sighed. "Okay, I was just hoping to clear that up…you know, I think it's pretty obvious that I've been flirting with you…"

"Yeah," she agreed, smiling at him. "It is."

"Well you've been flirting back," he pointed out.

"I have," she said, simply. Her smile never faded.

Draco sighed again. "Okay, I just wanted to clear that up."

From the corner of his eye, he caught a third year leaning to whisper to another third year. Both of their eyes were on him. Feeling suddenly raged, Draco grabbed Alice's arm as she turned to leave and pulled her towards him, his lips crashing upon hers. When he finally let her go, the whole of the common room was still and no one seemed to be breathing.

"Wow," whispered Alice, and then her eyes fell on Frank, who was watching from the corner of the room with his mouth slightly open.

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "Wow."

Before he could say anything else, however, he jumped back. Lily was standing just next to him, and he had only noticed this now. She was staring at him with a confused expression, and then she quickly turned to Alice.

"Um, I just came to uh…tell you that we have an emergency Prefect's meeting now…" she stammered.

Alice nodded and then turned back to Draco.

"We'll uh…finish this later," she promised.

He winked at her, and she followed Lily and several other students out of the common room, which came alive once again. Remus also left with them. Draco, feeling like it was enough spotlight for the day, returned to the fireplace, where James, Sirius and Peter were sitting with their eyes wide open.

"So," said Sirius, slowly, letting out a wolf-like whistle.

Draco grinned.

"Yeah," he said. "Suppose that clears it up for everyone, doesn't it?"

"That, it does," agreed James. "You uh…you and Alice, huh?"

"I bet Frank'll be _ecstatic_ about that," said Sirius, grinning over at where Frank was sitting, looking horror-struck.

"Y-yeah," said James. "But he'll get over it. Listen," he leaned forwards and Draco turned back to look at him. "You're not like…using her to prove anything, are you? I mean, you genuinely like her, right? Cause that would be just wrong…"

"Yeah, I mean, we normally wouldn't care and all," said Sirius, sheepishly. "But like…she's sort of a friend…"

"I _actually_ like her," Draco lied. "Don't worry, guys."

James and Sirius grinned.

Soon, the boys retreated to bed and Remus joined them shortly after, claiming that McGonagall had enforced a new rule that first, second and third-years were not allowed to do magic in the corridors. The boys made small talk and joked a bit more about Draco's new 'relationship', before they eventually fell to sleep. Draco stared up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head and a smile on his face. _It was safe to assume_ , he thought, _that the crisis had been officially averted_.

At last.

* * *

 **Isn't the thought of Draco and Snape totally adorable?**

 **.. Joking, of course..**

 **...or not... ;)**


	11. Bittersweet

**Author's Note : Thanks for your patience! You guys are awesome. What's even more awesome is that so far, no one's guessed any of the pairings for this story XD As you can imagine, we're feeling pretty happy with ourselves at the moment (grins devilishly) **

**Also, this chapter is slightly shorter than the others because the last few have been super long, we decided to give you guys a bit of a break. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 11: BITTERSWEET

The last couple of days at school were the most spotlight Draco could handle. Everywhere he went, everyone seemed to be whispering only about one thing—him and Alice. Well, at least _that's_ what they were whispering about and not about…other things…anymore. Still, Draco felt oddly strange when he was passing by the seventh floor corridor one day and Severus called out to him from where he was sitting. Draco hesitated before approaching him. He was very careful about how he walked and how he spoke. He didn't need any more rumours flying about him, so he was careful not to give Severus the wrong impression about anything. He was also not keen on confronting him about it or anything like that. Draco didn't need that kind of level of awkward in his life...at least not now.

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked in his pathetic attempt to sound casual.

"Sit down," said Severus, moving his clutter of books so that Draco could sit.

"I…" said Draco, glancing over his shoulder at the deserted corridor behind him. "I actually have some things to do at the library."

"Do them here," said Severus. "Go on, sit down."

Draco sighed and dropped his schoolbag to the ground before taking a seat. Severus looked strangely happy, and as Draco watched him, he wondered… could Lily have actually let down her guard and finally talked to him?

"So," said Severus. "You and Liddell, huh?"

"Y-yeah," said Draco. "Pretty much."

"Nice," said Severus, still looking pleased.

Draco frowned at him, and now found himself wondering whether _Severus_ could be the gay one. Well if he was, he was certainly not going to say anything about it. But then, Draco shrugged it out of his mind and decided not to go there again. The look on Severus' face when Lily had turned him down again and again during their late night conversations was not the look of a gay person. It was the look of a person hopelessly in love with a person from another world completely.

"How did you two happen?" Severus asked after a moment's silence.

"I dunno," shrugged Draco. "We've been flirting back and forth for a while now…I just decided to make it official finally."

"I'll say," said Severus, grinning. "Good for you, though."

"Yeah," said Draco. He glanced at the book in Severus' lap. "So, how's the Half Blood Prince's book going?"

And then, all time seemed to freeze over. Severus frowned at Draco, and Draco found himself itching to curse out loud…or throw James' invisibility cloak over himself…or borrow one of those time turners the ministry stored.

"How did you know about the name?" Severus breathed, still frowning at Draco.

"Y-you must've mentioned it to me," Draco claimed.

"No I didn't," Severus contradicted.

"No, you did!" Draco exclaimed. "I remember very well because you told me and I laughed and asked why the hell it's prince and then you said it's because of your mother's name."

He said this very quickly, and he could feel his heart racing again. He only hoped that Severus wouldn't hear it through Draco's panic. But Severus' eyes only seemed to have widened just a bit before he nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose I must've told you then," he muttered. "Sorry, I just…forgot."

"No, that's fine," said Draco, quickly.

They sat in silence for the next little while, both of them working on different homework assignments. But for the most part, Draco watched Severus curiously. He wasn't sure if it was just him…but Severus looked as though he had recovered from some sort of illness. He didn't look exactly cured, but something about him had changed in the last couple of days…

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Draco blurted out, and Severus looked up at him.

"Not at all," he said, confused.

"You just look like you have a lot on your mind," Draco observed.

Severus stared at him for a long time before he sighed and closed up his book.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, quietly. "I've just…been thinking a lot lately…about old times a-and—"

"Lily," Draco concluded.

Severus looked up at him.

"It's okay," said Draco. "It's not like it's a crime for you to think about her. She _was_ your best friend, you know."

"Yeah," said Severus. " _I_ know. But you don't. You weren't there."

"Fine," said Draco, looking back down at his book.

Even without looking Severus, he could tell that the boy was wondering how he'd managed to just brush that off easily. Clearly, he was well experienced when it came to handling Slytherins.

That night at dinner, Draco buried his face in the Daily Prophet and tried hard not to think about how everyone was staring at him. He and Alice had talked the other night and had agreed to try this dating thing out…though, even Draco wasn't stupid not to see that she was only doing this to get Frank jealous. _He_ , however, was at least not planning to have Draco's head for this.

"Look, it's none of my business," he'd told him when Draco had asked him about it. "Seriously, good for you, man. She's an excellent choice."

Draco had thought it was a pretty mature approach, and instantly gained more respect for Frank because of it. But the staring and the whispering was provoking Draco even more, and it wasn't long before he found himself wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself into by kissing Alice in front of a crowd like that. He had to admit it wasn't the smartest thing he'd done in the last month.

The Marauders all seemed to be overjoyed at Draco's new "relationship"…probably because, despite what they'd claimed about not judging him, they were still relieved on some level that 'gay' was not the case with him. And Draco understood completely. That would've been just too weird.

They each spent the next couple of days doing their own thing…studying or talking Quidditch. Remus though was starting to look a little peaky again, and Draco found himself watching him sometimes and wondering what it was actually like to transform every full moon, and whether it hurt at all.

On Friday night, Draco was just leaving the library when he bumped into Regulus for the first time that week. Feeling mighty relieved, he delved into conversation at once, not waiting for Regulus to slip away again.

"You need to talk to Sirius," Draco told him, boldly and firmly.

Regulus stared at him.

"I…"

"—will be happy to do as you ask, Draco?" said Draco. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"I can't!" said Regulus. "And I won't. I don't want to."

"You _have_ to," said Draco. "You have no choice. He's your brother."

"I _do_ have a choice," said Regulus. "Look Draco…I won't pretend I like this whole thing that's going on with him and me…I really don't. I prefer it to be like it used to be."

"But that was years ago," said Draco. "Don't pretend with me—Sirius already told me all about it. I know what happened between you two."

Regulus bit his lip.

"You have to fix it," said Draco. "Fix it now before it's too late."

"It already _is_ too late," Regulus told him. "Look, I'm sorry but it's just not gonna happen." He paused. "Don't make it your problem, Draco. Just 'cause you're related to us doesn't mean you have to play mediator when we fight."

He gave him a small smile and then retreated to his dungeons. Draco stared after him. _Actually, that's exactly what it means_ , he thought.

When Draco returned to the common room, he found Remus snoozing on the couch nearest the fireplace. He walked over to him and frowned. Maybe it was the candlelight, or maybe it was the angle from which Draco stared down at him…but he swore Remus had never looked so ill. His face was covered with sweat as he continued to sleep, and he looked weak and fragile.

"Oy!" James hissed as he crawled through the portrait hole and spotted Draco standing over Remus.

James waved Draco over to him.

"Let him rest," he said, directing Draco upstairs to the dormitory.

"But—"

"If he wakes up in the middle of the night, he'll come upstairs," James assured him. "Come on, let's go."

Draco tried to look back at Remus but James kept blocking his view and pushing him forward, so Draco obliged. He didn't go to sleep right away though. He kept waiting for Remus to pop in and say that he was feeling all better. But even Draco knew that that was not likely to happen tonight.

The next night, it was with deep regret that Draco resorted to leaving the Marauders behind for his lesson with Dumbledore. But James, Sirius and Peter looked like they knew exactly what to do with Remus. Still, as Draco made his way over to the Headmaster's office, he found his mind so clouded that he doubted he would get anything right tonight. He had given up on trying to find a memory altogether, and was sure Dumbledore would not approve. He was just rehearsing his excuse for not having a memory ready, when he entered the office and found that he was completely alone. Dumbledore was not seated behind his desk as usual. The office was completely empty, except for the big red bird that was resting in its cage at the far end of the office. Draco checked his watch, and it indeed read 8 o'clock. He walked over to Dumbledore's desk and scanned the calendar that lay on the front. Yep, it was Saturday alright. So where was he then?

Unsure of what to do, Draco sat himself in his usual seat and frowned. He really didn't see any point in coming to these lessons anymore. He wasn't able to find a memory and he wouldn't be able to find one anytime soon. It was a completely pointless hour every Saturday night, during which he could be doing something more useful with his time, like trying to get bloody Sirius and Regulus to talk to each other, or the Marauders to tell him about Remus, or Severus to get over Lily already.

The antique clock on the wall behind Dumbledore's desk chimed 8:10, and feeling frustrated, Draco got up and crossed the room to the door. Just before his hand touched the handle however, a voice behind him said, "You really have no patience, do you, Malfoy?"

Draco spun around instantly, looking frantically for the source of it. No one else was in the room, and all the portraits on the walls seemed to be snoozing in their frames.

"Dumbledore will be along shortly, I expect," said the voice again, and Draco finally caught the eyes of the wizard in one of the portraits who wasn't sleeping. He was stationed just on the side of the wall nearest to Dumbledore's desk. Draco took a few steps towards Phineas Nigellus Black and frowned.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked.

"Dumbledore told me," said Phineas Nigellus, slowly.

Draco stared at him. He was a clever-looking wizard, with black hair, dark eyes, a pointed beard and thin eyebrows, and was wearing robes of green and silver. Draco's frown faltered and he stood up straight, knowing that this was the only way to talk to a fellow Slytherin, if one wanted information.

"Who were you?" Draco demanded, his head held slightly higher this time.

The wizard smirked at him. "I would think you would know your own great, great-grandfather, wouldn't you, Draco _Black_?"

Draco rolled his eyes at him. "I know you're a _Black_ , but who were you?"

But Phineas Nigellus only eyed Draco curiously.

"Well?" said Draco.

"I told Dumbledore that it was a poor idea to let you take on my family name," said Phineas Nigellus. "My great grandchildren are stupid, yes, but not forgiving."

"Where is Dumbledore?" Draco asked.

"He is off taking care of some ministry matters to do with the war, but I really don't see how that is any of your business."

"Whatever," Draco turned his back on the wizard and approached the window on the far end of the office. He glanced at the Quidditch Stadium, which could be seen in the far distance from here.

"Tell me," said Phineas Nigellus, "Are any more of my descendants banished from the family name?"

Draco turned round to look at him. "I don't know."

"Sure you do," said Phineas Nigellus. "Aren't you best friends with that despicable great-great grandson of mine?"

"Sirius?" said Draco. "No, we're not best friends. And I'm also talking to your _other_ great-great grandson…Regulus." Phineas Nigellus frowned at him. "Is he not despicable?"

"No," said Phineas Nigellus, still frowning. "For him, I have the utmost respect. He is doing precisely what is expected of him."

"The Slytherin way," Draco agreed, nodding.

A smile crossed the wizard's face. "You've heard the term?"

"I've lived it," said Draco. "So what is it exactly that makes Sirius despicable, but not Regulus?"

"Regulus respects the family name enough to protect its reputation," said Phineas Nigellus, wisely. "My son Arcturus would agree that this is a trait he'd inherited directly from him. _Sirius_ , on the other hand, completely and totally disgraces the name he was given…and does absolutely no justice to my son, after whom he was named."

"Wasn't it your younger brother…? Who died at a young age, too…?" said Draco, raising an eyebrow at him.

Phineas Nigellus' mouth fell open.

"So you _have_ heard of me then," he said.

"My mother told me you were the only Hogwarts Headmaster who'd been in Slytherin," Draco explained. He paused. "She also told me you were the least bit popular here."

Phineas Nigellus looked absolutely outraged, but he only held himself up even more and huffed. "Well then," he said, "Since you know _so_ much about _my_ family, what about yours?"

"What about them?" said Draco, indifferently.

"Where are they all now, I wonder?" said Phineas Nigellus, cleverly. "Are any of _them_ banished? Are any of them rotting in Azkaban Prison? Are any—"

The empty fireplace in the corner of the office burst into emerald-green flame, making Draco leap away from the window. He stared at the man spinning inside the gate for a few seconds. Then, Dumbledore's tall form unfolded itself from the fire, making all the wizards and witches on the surrounding walls jerk awake. He limped his way out of the fireplace and slowly walked over to his desk, taking a seat. It was then that Draco noticed his severely bleeding hand.

"Professor!" said a corpulent wizard in one of the portraits behind Dumbledore. "What on earth's happened?"

"Another raid!" cried a stern-looking witch beside him. "Tell me, what _has_ our world come to?"

"I've read that a bit of peppermint ointment will cure that up for you," said the first wizard, who was frowning down at Dumbledore's arm.

"That's alright, Armando, it's nothing that my Fawkes can't fix for me," said Dumbledore, in a surprisingly calm voice. His red pet bird flew over to his side and leaned over his arm at once.

"R-raid?" said Draco, in a very quiet voice.

Dumbledore looked up at him for the first time since he'd arrived and smiled softly.

"I apologise, Draco," he said. "I'm not usually late."

"I don't care about that, sir," said Draco, whose eyes were on Dumbledore's arm. "What's happened?"

Dumbledore looked down at the red bird, and so did Draco. It was now dropping tears onto Dumbledore's arm, and to Draco's astonishment, the wound began to heal itself. Draco watched in amazement, and Dumbledore smiled at him.

"Fawkes here is a phoenix," he explained. "Their tears have healing powers."

When the phoenix was finished, it flew away again, and Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"What happened?" Draco asked again.

"There was a great muggleborn raid down at Diagon Alley this evening," Dumbledore explained without opening his eyes. "The Death Eaters were vicious. Several of my old friends came out to help me stop them. But I'm afraid, it got a bit ugly."

"Did…did anyone…you know….." said Draco, feeling a lump in his throat.

"No," said Dumbledore. "There were no deaths, but many, many injuries." He opened his eyes and looked down at his completely healed arm. "They'll all probably be reported in the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning." He sighed and closed his eyes again, looking very tired.

"Professor, I can come back tomorrow," said Draco, but Dumbledore immediately shook his head.

"We have agreed to Saturday nights, and we will keep doing this on Saturday nights," he said. "I just didn't know there would be a raid tonight, that's all."

"Are there many raids?" Draco asked, in a small voice.

"No," said Dumbledore. "Although, they have been more frequent recently than ever before." He frowned, and then cleared his throat and looked up at Draco. "You have a memory prepared for today, I presume?"

Draco opened his mouth to recite the excuse he'd rehearsed on his way over there, but suddenly stopped himself and nodded.

"Well then," said Dumbledore, smiling pleasantly. "Whenever you're ready."

Draco pulled out his wand, hesitated, glanced sideways at the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black (who was watching him fervently), and closed his eyes.

He could see the Wizengamot's high court perfectly in his mind. He watched the assembly of wizards file out of the room, all of them shaking their heads at the frightened-looking man who was at the center of it. The two guards remained by the doors, waiting. Draco's mother leapt from her seat and ran to hug his father, who, as Draco approached him, he saw was shaking from head to toe. He hugged her for several minutes before his eyes landed on Draco.

"You'll take care of your mother, won't you?" he said, tears sparkling in his eyes.

"Y-yeah," said Draco, quietly. He had no idea what to say. "Of c-course."

"And do what she says," Lucius continued, his voice breaking slightly.

Draco stared at his father. He had never seen him like this before—on the verge of a mental breakdown. He looked so destroyed from within…so completely helpless. Draco felt his own eyes watering. And then, something happened…something he'd never imagined in a million years would happen…

His father pulled his arms around him and hugged him tight, crying into his son's shoulders. Draco cried back, and he could hear his mother crying beside them too. It was too soon that the guards pulled his father away from him and led him out of the courtroom. Draco watched him with a mixture of sadness and fear. But even in a desperate moment like that, he couldn't help but feel as though his entire world had lit up. Despite the devastating circumstances, his father had actually shown affection for him—for the first time in his life. Draco had never doubted that he was raised by two parents who loved him, but he'd also never thought that he was the sort of person who needed confirmation about that sort of thing.

He opened his eyes and found himself standing in Dumbledore's office, with the old man watching him curiously. The tears were still in Draco's eyes, and his wand in his hand was slightly shaking. He could still feel that tingling sensation from the memory, tickling its way from his fingertips, up to his arms and into his heart. It settled itself there, warmly and comfortably, as though it were its place of refuge. Draco took a deep breath and pointed his wand into the air.

" _Expecto Patronum_."

The shiny, silvery light erupted from the tip of his wand like cannonball. Smoothly and delicately, yet roughly and furiously, it spread out in all different directions, twisting and turning and entwining until it started to form some sort of shape. First Draco spotted a set of wings—leathery, sort of like a bat's, and without any feathers at all. Then the skeletal body to which the wings were attached formed, along with a long tail. Its boney figure and dragon-like face turned around to look at Draco, and even through the mist and bright silver, he could tell that this thing was utterly beautiful. Losing his concentration, Draco let his wand slip through his fingers, and the mist, along with the mysterious creature, vanished into thin air.

It was only after Dumbledore came around his desk and pulled Draco into his usual seat that Draco realised his eyes were watery and his head slightly dizzy. Dumbledore handed him a glass of water and Draco accepted it without arguing. When Dumbledore finally sat back in his seat, Draco wiped his face on his sleeve and met his eyes.

"What was that?" he breathed, his heart still beating frantically (and painfully) against his chest.

"That…" said Dumbledore, who was smiling sadly now, "…was a thestral."

* * *

"A thestral…" Draco repeated, his mind racing for when he'd heard the term before.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "They are vastly misunderstood creatures, unfortunately. But they're far larger in real life than what your patronus appeared to be."

"Wait," said Draco. "So…that was it then, wasn't it? That was a real patronus? You mean…I actually managed to produce one?"

Dumbledore smiled.

"My patronus is a thestral," Draco repeated, more to himself than to Dumbledore.

"It's very curious," said Dumbledore. "Thestrals are thought, by most, to be creepy and…sinister."

"What makes you think I didn't think it was creepy and sinister?" said Draco, at once.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" said Draco.

"Because you said it was beautiful," said Dumbledore, as though it were obvious.

Draco froze instantly.

"You mean…" he breathed. "I…said that…out loud?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore, smiling again.

 _Great_ , thought Draco.

Dumbledore tilted his head to look at him more clearly, and Draco watched him, waiting for his analysis.

"The memory that you chose," said Dumbledore, suddenly. "It was a very powerful one, to have allowed you to produce a full-bodied patronus on your first try tonight."

"Yeah," Draco whispered. "It was powerful alright."

There was a pause.

"Did it have anything to do with death?" asked Dumbledore in a soft voice.

Draco stared at him, long and hard.

"Anything at all?" said Dumbledore, again.

Draco shook his head.

"Have you ever seen someone die, Draco?" Dumbledore asked, still more softly.

Again, Draco shook his head, though it took his brain a lot longer to comprehend this action. Dumbledore sat upright again and folded his hands on the table in front of him.

"I only ask because it is curious that your patronus would take the form of the very creature that can only be seen by those who have seen death," he explained.

And that was when Draco remembered…it felt like ages ago now, but only just two years before, during another one of Hagrid's pathetic Care of Magical Creatures lessons, he'd taught them about these thestral creatures. At the time, hardly anyone in the class could see them, Draco included. Draco had only assumed that Hagrid was even more mental than ever before. But now, he understood. And, as looked over at Dumbledore from across the desk, a fleeting image of the night on the Astronomy Tower lurking at the back of his mind, Draco knew exactly why it was that he could see the thestral…even in its patronus form.

But he knew better than to tell Dumbledore this. And even in his state of shock, he knew better than to think that Dumbledore believed him when he said,

"I don't know why it's a thestral, okay? It just is."

"Alright," said Dumbledore, calmly. "You don't have to explain your patronus to me. As long as you can produce it, my work here is done. We can move on to other things at our next lesson."

"So it's not…weird…that I think it's beautiful while most others think it's just creepy?" Draco said instead.

"No, not at all," said Dumbledore, simply. "Wizards are oftentimes very fond of their Patronus forms. It is, in a way, like the shape of your soul. The Patronus takes on your personality, or rather, it comes from your personality."

"So deep down, I'm just a creepy old horse," Draco concluded.

Behind Dumbledore, Phineas Nigellus gave out a bark-like laugh, much like Sirius.

"Well actually," said Dumbledore, who stood up from behind the desk and motioned for Draco to do the same. "I was going to say that thestrals are seriously misunderstood creatures…rather like yourself."

Draco said nothing, and allowed Dumbledore to escort him to the office door. They stopped there, and Dumbledore turned to look at him, the wound on his arm all better now.

"I am very proud of the work that you have done tonight, Draco," he said. "You should be too. Have yourself a good night."

"Why did you tell Phineas Nigellus Black who I really am?" Draco hissed at him, careful to make his voice not heard by any of the portraits.

Dumbledore frowned at him.

"I specifically told you _not_ to tell anyone who I really am," Draco continued.

"I understand," said Dumbledore. "But I assure you that Phineas will not say a word to anyone."

"How can you know that?" Draco shot at him.

"Because," said Dumbledore, looking more serious now, "All the portraits in my office are honour-bound. Phineas must do as told by the current Headmaster of Hogwarts...me."

"Oh," said Draco.

"I may be old, but I am not a fool," Dumbledore told him, sternly. "Now, go and get some sleep, Draco."

"Goodbye, professor," said Draco, and he left.

The whole way back to Gryffindor Tower, he thought of nothing else but that memory of his father and how it had been strong enough to allow him to produce the patronus…how, strangely, it had brought him to tears. He then thought about the strange, horse-like creature, and how, although he'd only known it for just a few seconds, he already felt like he'd known it his whole life…and strangely…he loved it already.

It was such a weird feeling that he couldn't explain it even to himself.

Feeling exhausted from the night's work, he gave the Fat Lady the password and climbed through the portrait hole, only to stop as soon as he was in the common room. James and Sirius were standing together on one side, while Lily was standing in front of them, her arms crossed and her expression furious. Remus and Peter were not there, and by the looks of it, nobody else was either.

Lily did not even notice Draco join Sirius' side. She was too busy glaring at him.

"Look," said Sirius, who was sporting a rather relaxed expression. "I _told_ your friend that I wasn't looking into anything serious…"

"That's true, he probably did," James pointed out. "He always makes sure to tell them that…the girls, I mean."

"It's not my fault she took it to mean that we were gonna get married one day," said Sirius. "She knew I was just looking to have a little fun."

"Yeah?" said Lily. "Well, you're always looking to have a little fun with all of my friends!"

"Jealous?" said Sirius, grinning.

"Oh yes!" cried Lily with much sarcasm. "I'm just _dying_ with jealousy! Why, Sirius Black, _why_ won't you have _me_?!"

James laughed.

"Knew you were," said Sirius, who disregarded her sarcasm. "It's fine, Lils. We can hook up too if you want."

But Lily only scoffed and turned away from him without another word, marching up the stairs to her dormitory.

Sirius looked round at James, whose smile had faded, and he laughed.

"Oh come on, I was just joking!"

"Not funny," James muttered.

" _I_ thought it was funny," said Draco.

Sirius smiled. "See, Jamesy? Finally, someone in our group with a sense of humour!" He turned to Draco. "How was the lesson then?"

"Fine," said Draco. "It was really good."

"Yeah?" said Sirius, his hands slipping into his pockets. "What'd you learn?"

For a fraction of a second, Draco actually contemplated telling them about learning the Patronus Charm. But then he figured it wouldn't be wise because then they'd just question what his patronus was and then they would wonder where and when he'd seen death. And tonight, Draco was not prepared to explain any of that to them.

"I learned about inferi," Draco lied. "Dumbledore thought it would be wise to start with the most dangerous, darkest creatures of all…he said we'd be learning them in Dark Arts at some point this year anyway."

"Really?" said James and Sirius, both of whom looked excited at the idea of learning about inferi.

"Yep," said Draco, nodding.

And as they went off to bed, he silently made a mental note to be sure to visit Dumbledore tomorrow morning and let him know that he now had to make Claybrook teach the sixth years about inferi, if it wasn't already on the syllabus.

The rest of the weekend was fairly noisy, what with people following Draco everywhere he went and asking him about him and Alice. It really was very annoying, and so Draco was more than grateful for the Marauders when they cleared everybody out of the common room late Sunday night so that they could talk, when all they really wanted to do was just hang out without all the noise and ruckus. Remus was upstairs in their dormitory, resting (again), so they figured it'd be best not to wake him.

"Damn, you're stealing like all the attention from us because of your hookup with Alice," said Sirius, who settled himself on the couch.

"Sorry," said Draco. "But we haven't exactly hooked up yet."

"Yeah, yeah, we don't need to know the details," said James.

"What?" laughed Draco. "You're seriously telling me you guys don't talk about this sort of stuff?"

"Nope," said Sirius. "We don't."

"Wait, you're serious?" said Draco. "I…I just thought…"

"We have class, you know," said Sirius. "I'm perfectly fine with you guys knowing that I have hookups and with which girls…but the details are…private. I at least respect them enough for that."

"You don't respect them at all," laughed James, but Sirius only rolled his eyes at him.

"So," said Peter, suddenly, and the boys all turned to him. It was rare that he ever actually offered any information himself, but when he did, it was always something interesting. "I have an update on Adalyn."

"Really?!" cried Sirius, sitting up quickly with gleaming eyes.

"Well tell us!" said James with equal enthusiasm.

Peter smiled shyly, but something about his smile told Draco that whatever the update was, it wasn't good.

"I t-took your advice," he began.

"Whose?" said Draco.

"All of yours," said Peter. "I was nice and considerate, but not _too_ nice and considerate. I ruffled my hair a lot and acted like I had better things to do than talk to her…but I also asked her about how her week was and how she liked her classes."

James' eyebrows shot up and Sirius let out a strange cough.

"Aaaand?" said Draco.

"And," said Peter, anxiously, "S-she said she would reach out to me if she found time to go out."

"Oh no, Pete!" said Sirius and James together, both of them shaking their heads disapprovingly.

"What?" he said. "I did what you guys told me to do!"

"Yeah, but you should've have taken all of their advice and mixed it up!" said Draco.

"Damn, you probably confused the poor girl," said Sirius.

"You have to pick one way," said James. "You can't be nice and be mean and be cool. You have to pick one and just go with it."

"Well how was I supposed to know that?" said Peter, miserably.

Draco laughed.

"It's okay, it's okay, we'll get you another girl," said Sirius, patting him on the back. "That's gonna be my mission for the next week. You mark my words, I'll find you another girl. I'm an evil genius when it comes to these things."

"Yeah, and _my_ mission will be not to make such a big fool of myself," said Peter.

"James' mission is probably to control his Quidditch team," said Sirius, and James groaned.

"I swear, if that Gudgeon misses _one more practice_ , he's out," he said, turning to look at Draco.

"And what, I'm in?" said Draco.

"Maybe," said James. "But for now, you have more important things to worry about."

"Such as?"

"Our next prank, of course," said James. "What, you didn't think we forgot, did you?"

Draco looked from him to Sirius, who nodded with a smile.

"We look forward to your instructions, Mr. Black," said James.

And even after they left for bed, Draco remained rooted to the spot, his eyes on the fireplace. Well this was just perfect. On top of everything else that he had to deal with, he now had to come up with a prank brilliant enough to gain the Marauders' approval, yet not too brilliant so as to get them into trouble and thus disappoint Remus, and also not too evil so as to make them question whether he was actually the innocent face that he displayed.

Well this wasn't going to be hard at all…

* * *

 **Thanks and don't forget to review!**


	12. Priorities

**Author's Note : Have a great rest of the weekend, everyone! ****Unfortunately, you all have to wait about a week and a half for the next chapter. It'll be updated on October 15.**

 **But fortunately. . . . . . . . . . . . . . it's gonna be AWESOME. That's a promise.**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 12: PRIORITIES

Draco put down his copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ and grabbed the other side of the blanket that James was now hoisting over Remus, who lay practically passed out on the couch near the fireplace. Together, they smoothed the blanket out over him and extinguished the candle just next to him so that its blinking light wouldn't disturb his sleep. According to James, he had woken up in the middle of the night and come downstairs, falling asleep on the couch there. But luckily, the common room wasn't very full of noise as it was still early in the morning, and everyone was feeling too lazy to get up and approach another Monday. So, Draco and the Marauders didn't bother waking Remus up or helping him to the dormitory upstairs. He would just sleep in the common room... again.

According to Draco's calculations, there were three days left until the full moon. That meant that Remus would just get worse and worse, right up until his transformation. The Marauders were of course acting very cool about it and pretending that they didn't even notice how terribly ill he was. Oh he showed up to classes and all, and he even came to dinners in the Great Hall and helped the boys with their homework and attended Prefects' meetings with Lily, like always. But there were always those few hours a day when he was almost unrecognizable. Draco had grown very fond of Remus in the last month, and so of course he felt sorry for him, but he had to work hard at pretending that he didn't notice this strangeness either. He didn't want to make it any harder for the Marauders to lie about it. But Draco's fortitude came to a test when Monday's Potions lesson showcased Remus' first ever (to Draco's knowledge) emotional meltdown.

Slughorn had told the sixth years that he would be testing them on their ability to brew the Shrinking Solution, but Remus had mistakenly noted 'Cure for Boils' instead. And so, when the boys arrived to class on Monday morning and Remus realised that he was about to be tested on a potion for which he was not prepared at all... well... Draco had not expected _this_.

"How the bloody hell do you expect us to brew the Shrinking Solution in just sixty bloody minutes?!" Remus hissed at poor Professor Slughorn, who was looking at him apologetically and sympathetically.

"Remus, my boy," he said, softly, but Remus was not listening.

He went on and on until James managed to pull him out of the classroom. Sirius then approached Slughorn's desk and Slughorn gave him a note that excused Remus from class. Sirius left as well, leaving Draco alone at the table with Peter. Draco stared after the boys, wishing he had been able to go with them, not because it'd be an excuse to get out of this stupid assignment (he'd done this test twice before already) but because he felt strangely left out. He found himself urging to just spit it out so that the boys would accept that he knew Remus' secret too. Instead, they made subtle excuses so that they could discuss things privately.

James and Sirius returned shortly after, without Remus, and Draco had to take over with helping them for the day (a job that was normally taken care of by Remus). At the end of the lesson, they filed out of the classroom together, but not before James approached Slughorn and apologised to him on behalf of Remus.

"It's fine, my dear boy, I completely understand!" said Slughorn, dismissively.

Draco hung around just near the door, busying himself with putting some ingredients away in the store cupboards, while listening cautiously so as to catch every word. It was easy—Slughorn wasn't doing a very good job at keeping his voice down.

"Do let Dumbledore know that it's been getting worse, will you?" he told James. "I'd hate for Remus to miss my first club meeting of the year. It's this Thursday, you know."

"Yeah, for sure," said James. "I'll make sure he knows. See you later, professor."

"Bye now, boys!"

Sirius waved and the boys left the classroom together.

"Will you?" Draco heard Sirius ask James in a whisper as the two of them walked in front of Draco and Peter.

James shook his head. He started to say something but Peter suddenly thrust his timetable in front of Draco, obscuring his vision.

"We don't have a midnight lesson today, do we?" he asked.

"No," Draco moaned, shoving the paper out of his face while up ahead, James and Sirius continued whispering. "Practical lessons are on Wednesdays at midnight—you know that, Peter."

"Oh," said Peter. "I thought it was Wednesday today."

"... it'll just draw more attention to him," Draco heard James whisper.

Sirius only nodded. They exchanged a few more whispers without looking behind them at Draco or Peter, and then they disappeared up the stairs. Draco stared after them, wondering what the heck was going on.

Remus didn't show up to History of Magic, which was to be expected of course. So, Draco took advantage of the opportunity to have Sirius alone in that class. But what Draco saw as a chance to interrogate him about Regulus, Sirius saw as a chance to show his _true_ mood. Draco had noticed that, when around James, Sirius tended to keep a certain mask on. He rarely ever showed a bad mood in front of him. But since James was not in NEWT History of Magic, almost as soon as they sat down, Sirius' mood dropped considerably. He moped around for a while, barely listening to a word of what Binns was saying. Draco watched him for a long time, wondering what this could have to do with. Surely Sirius wasn't this upset because of Remus, was he? Draco was so itching to find out that he even considered slipping Sirius a "what's up" note, but then decided that Sirius was just not in the mood for it. Not today.

So Draco let it go, and watched Sirius and Peter run off somewhere when the lunch bell rang. He tried to follow them but they had literally disappeared out of nowhere, and so Draco almost instantly gave up and headed straight for the Great Hall. His mind clouded slightly, he approached the Entrance Hall when he was stopped by someone yelling out "Hey Black!" He turned around and saw Severus and Mulciber coming out of the dungeons. Mulciber was strangely smirking.

"Hey, what's up with your friend Lupin?" he asked Draco. "Is it his time of the month?"

"No!" said Draco, almost too quickly.

Mulciber chuckled stupidly, but Severus at least rolled his eyes and said to Draco, "He's just joking."

" _Half_ -joking," Mulciber corrected. "I mean, Lupin _has_ been kind of moody lately. We're all laying our bets."

"That what, he's a girl?" said Draco. "Well he's not."

"Well of course, _you_ would know," said Mulciber, winking.

Draco stared at him, but Severus only pushed Mulciber towards the entrance to the Great Hall, so Mulciber shrugged and left. Draco turned to Severus.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing," said Severus, quickly. "He was just poking fun at the rumours that went on about you recently."

"Yeah, any idea where they could have come from?" said Draco suddenly. "Like maybe it was something I said or did in class or whatever..."

Severus reddened slightly and shook his head.

"So anyway," he began. "I've been thinking a lot about what you've been saying…"

"Yeah...?" said Draco, adjusting the bookbag on his shoulder.

"... and..." said Severus, who was chewing on his bottom lip. "Well... I suppose it's time I just sort of... accept that... you know, Lily and I... it's never gonna be the same again."

"Wait, what?" said Draco, alarmed.

"You know," said Severus, shrugging slightly. "She's clearly in love with that Potter—"

"No she's not!"

"—or Black—"

"She loathes them!"

"—and her and Lupin have always been so close—"

"It doesn't mean anything, they're just friends!"

Severus sighed.

"I just...I think it's safe to assume that she's gonna live her life... a-and I suppose I should... live mine..."

"She's been watching you a lot!"

The words had escaped Draco before he could even stop himself, but Severus' reaction, unfortunately, was instantaneous. His eyes widened as he looked at Draco, and for a fleeting second, a smile crossed his puzzled face.

"Wait, what?" he said.

Draco started.

"Um..."

"What did you just say?" said Severus.

"Well," said Draco, looking around the Great Hall for some excuse to rescue himself from this situation. No one he knew was around. He turned back to Severus. "Well yeah, I mean...I dunno, it's just something I noticed."

"When?" said Severus, urgently.

"Just in class," Draco mumbled.

Severus eyed him for a moment before he hissed, "Are you playing with me?"

"No, I'm not!" said Draco. "I swear, I have no reason to."

A fiery sort of gleam crossed Severus' black eyes for just a spilt second. It was so quick that Draco was sure that, if he had blinked, he would have missed it. But there Severus was, looking as serious as ever.

"Oy Sev, you comin'?" Mulciber called, poking his head out of the Great Hall.

Severus looked over Draco's shoulder, nodded, and then left. Draco hurried in after him, hoping that either Remus or Sirius would be at the Gryffindor table so that he could spill to them the huge mistake he'd just made. But none of the Marauders were anywhere to be found. So Draco resorted to the only other thing he could think of. Without glancing at the Slytherin table, he marched right up to where Lily was seated, immersed in the Daily Prophet and a bowl of porridge. He sat across from her and pulled the sandwich tray towards him. It took Lily several moments before she realised Draco was sitting just in front of her. She gasped and quickly folded up the newspaper in front of her. Then, she looked up at him and smiled brightly.

"Good afternoon," she said.

"Yeah," he said, busy filling his plate. "Listen, I have to talk to you."

"Yes, I think we should talk," she agreed.

"Yeah well, it's about Severus," said Draco.

Lily's smile faltered at once.

"Severus? What about him?"

"You need to quit being such a stubborn and _hypocritical_ grudge-holder and just cut the crap already and forgive him, alright?" said Draco, without even drawing breath.

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you're gonna say," he said. "'It's none of your business' and 'This is between me and Severus and no one else', blah, blah, blah. Whatever. But you don't strike me as the kind of person who is fine with having foes. Just look at us...me not wanting to have anything to do with you. Look at what it's done to you—it's made you practically _desperate_ for me to talk to you and—"

"Whoa, just back off there, okay?" cried Lily suddenly. "You don't have to be so arrogant, you know. I'm not _desperate_. I couldn't care less if you don't want to talk to me—"

"Oh yeah, it clearly shows," Draco laughed. "But that's beside the point." He paused to take a bite of his sandwich and Lily watched him chew. When he'd finally gulped, he cleared his throat and said, "Oh just forgive him already! Would it really kill you to just do it?"

"Yes, it would!" she said. "Look, it...I know I've said this many times before, but it's _really_ none of your business so just stop poking your big nose where it doesn't belong!"

"Big?" said Draco, running his fingers over his nose. "I didn't think it was that big. Hey Alice!"

Alice turned away from her girlfriends and flashed him a grin.

"What do you think of my nose?" he called to her over the table.

"Um," she said, looking round at her friends who giggled. "I suppose it's cute?"

"Thanks, that's all I wanted to hear!" he called back to her. He raised an eyebrow at Lily and smirked. She scowled at him.

"Look," said Draco, lowering his voice even more so that no one beside them would hear. "I know you two have your issues. Fine. Whatever. But you... you don't see how much your insistence on separating is torturing him. I do."

"How do you?" she laughed. "You barely know him! You barely know any of us! This _so_ doesn't include you in any way, that it's almost ridiculous that you're so interested!" She raised her index finger to silence him as he was about to speak. "Look, I think we should just stop talking about this altogether, and steer our conversation to more pressing matters."

"Such as?" said Draco.

"Alice," said Lily, at once.

"What about her?" said Draco, lazily.

"What do you want with her?" Lily demanded.

"Why, what's it to you?" said Draco.

"She's one of my closest friends," said Lily. "I don't want you to go hurting her just like your pal Sirius."

" _Sirius and Alice_?" Draco choked.

"No," Lily rolled her eyes. "But that hasn't stopped him from hooking up with _all_ of my friends!"

"And does that bother you?" said Draco, curiously and still smirking. "Is it because you wish you were one of the girls? _Oh no, don't tell me._ " He stifled a laugh and threw on a serious face. "You've never hooked up with anyone, have you? _Oh this is brilliant!_ "

"Oh shut up, Black!" she cried.

"Oh, so now we're back to Black, eh?" laughed Draco. "Alright, Evans. Two can play at that game."

"You're in—suffer—able!" she hissed at him.

"Thanks very much," said Draco. He paused. "So what if _I_ hook up with all of your friends?"

"You'd better not," Lily warned.

He smirked at her.

"I mean it," she added quickly.

"I think," said Draco, finishing up his sandwich and getting to his feet, "I'll just do what I want, thanks."

"Hey, did you hear what I said?" Lily hissed at him. " _Do not_ mess with Alice or any of my other friends... or you'll have _me_ to answer to."

"I'm terrified," said Draco. He caught Alice's eye, winked at her (to Lily's irritation), and then departed from the Great Hall to check the common room for the Marauders.

But once Draco was out of the Great Hall, panic seemed to rise within him. What— _what_ had he just gotten himself into? Now, because of his stupid big mouth, Severus was under the impression that Lily was looking to reconcile... and Lily was obviously staying true to her word that she and Severus were history. Draco turned the corner and climbed up a few steps whilst resisting the urge to hit himself on the head. There had been absolutely no point in him blurting out whatever he'd said to Severus—other than the fact that, in the moment, he'd felt truly terrible for the poor boy who just couldn't catch a break with this redheaded freak. But now, he, Draco, would pay for this... dearly.

When he finally got to the Gryffindor common room, he found all four Marauders sitting by the fireplace, looking extremely tense and serious. At the sight of him, they immediately jumped to their feet and started asking random questions ("When's that History of Magic paper due?" "Was Frank in the Great Hall at lunch?" "Are you sure you haven't seen my Sneakerscope?"). Draco mumbled his responses and then followed the boys out of the portrait hole again. They chatted quietly until they reached the Entrance Hall and departed there, James and Sirius off to enjoy their free period while Draco, Remus and Peter headed to their Astronomy theory lesson.

Draco watched Remus the whole way there, and was quite startled to find that the boy looked exactly like his old self. His mood was very bright too, and he was explaining to Peter (enthusiastically, too) why Slughorn had insisted on adding 12 pinches of fluxweed to the Hair Raising Solution instead of 13. But before Draco could ask Remus how he was feeling or anything of the sort, they reached the Astronomy classroom and Remus went to pair off with some boy in Hufflepuff, while Draco partnered with Peter for their project, it being his turn and everything.

For the most part, Draco found himself incredibly distracted throughout the activity—he was either watching Remus or thinking about Severus and Lily or wondering what other memories he could use for that Patronus Charm. Though it had already been two days since he'd managed to produce it, he'd neglected to mention it to the Marauders just yet. The less they knew now, the better really.

"Draco, is this right?" said Peter, who shoved his homework in front of him. Draco forced his eyes away from Remus and stared down at the piece of parchment.

"Y-yeah, I think so," he said, slowly, though truth be told, he wasn't paying attention at all to what was scribbled there in Peter's messy writing.

"Uh, is everything okay?" said Peter.

Draco looked up at him.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, it's all fine." But he gave himself away instantly by glancing sideways at Remus, who was now laughing with that Hufflepuff boy about something.

"He'll be fine," Peter assured him. Draco turned back to him. "He will. It's just... uh... the flu!"

"That's some flu," said Draco. "Has he ever gotten this sick before?"

"Oh definitely!" said Peter. "It's nothing to worry about! So, do you have any ideas for what'll be our next prank?"

Draco groaned. He had been so busy the last couple of days that he hadn't thought about it at all.

"I'm sure whatever you come up with will be brilliant!" said Peter, encouragingly.

Draco smiled weakly at him, and then bit his lip.

"What have they done before? I mean, what kinds of pranks have you guys pulled in the past?"

"Oh, loads!" said Peter. "They were all James' and Sirius' ideas. Sometimes they took my ideas and improved them...Remus never offered any ideas. He just sort of went along with everything."

"Yeah, that I believe," said Draco.

"No really, he did!" said Peter, looking worried.

Draco stared at him.

"Uh y-yeah, I know... I wasn't being sarcastic there, Pete."

"Oh."

They worked silently for a few more minutes before Peter suddenly began smiling.

"What?" said Draco with a small laugh.

"One time," said Peter. "We replaced all the bathroom water pipes with sewage!"

" _You what_?" cried Draco.

"Yeah, it was brilliant!" laughed Peter. "I mean... well, we _did_ get detention for a week, so that wasn't very fun. But it was still really funny. Everyone thought so!"

"I see..."

"And this other time, we charmed all the furniture in the Ravenclaw common room to spout out these poetry passages to anyone who was passing by!"

"R-really?"

"Yeah... it was just little pranks like that... the rest of the time, we mostly just made fun of Slytherins... like two years ago, there was this Slytherin boy in fifth year who was teasing all the Gryffindor girls in our year, so we just levitated him so that he hung by his shirt on a tree for _hours_."

Draco stared at Peter incredulously. All of these pranks seemed so immature and yet so James and Sirius like. So if Draco came up with something a little more advanced, that wouldn't be too much of a problem, would it? But then again, it would have to be something that wasn't too cool so as to draw any attention to his abilities, and not evil so as to raise any doubt in where his loyalties lay, but also not lame either.

After Astronomy, Draco said goodbye to Peter and Remus, who were headed to their last classes for the day. He walked along the second floor corridor, aiming to get to the Entrance Hall so he could maybe catch Alice and talk to her about 'slowing things down'. The talks around school were really starting to annoy him, whereas Alice was ecstatic. But then, Draco reached Claybrook's classroom, from which a fifth year class was emerging, Regulus among them.

"Hey Draco!" he said once he saw him standing there. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," said Draco. "I have a free period now. Hey listen, can I talk to you for a second?"

He pulled Regulus away from the mass of students walking along the corridors now.

"What's up?" said Regulus, sitting on a bench at the end of the corridor. Draco sat with him.

"I really think you should try reaching out to Sirius," he began. "Just hear me out." Regulus waited. "He thinks you don't want anything to do with him."

"Maybe I don't," said Regulus.

"Oh just cut the crap, will you?" said Draco, tiredly. "Just be the bigger person here."

"I shouldn't have to," said Regulus, standing up. "Look Draco, I like you and everything, but you should just stay out of it, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, listen," said Draco, urging him to sit back down. "I wanted to ask you something else." Regulus waited. "Maybe you do know something... about those rumours that were going on about me a few days ago..."

Regulus reddened instantly, and Draco stared at him.

"You do know something," he said. "Tell me now."

"It... it's nothing—"

"Tell me."

Regulus sighed. He looked around the corridor to make sure no one was listening, before he whispered.

"Okay, but swear not to tell _anyone,_ " he said. Draco rolled his eyes, so Regulus went on. "Sev came to me the other night... to _me_ , and _only_ me, okay? It's not like he talked to the lot of us together. He's not a prick."

"Okay, _and_?" said Draco, growing impatient.

"Aaaand..." said Regulus, slowly. "Well... he had his suspicions, you know? I mean... the way he justified them, it seemed odd that you were this new kid who was so interested in everything going on in his life. Actually, we were all curious as to why that is."

"So?" laughed Draco. "I was interested in your life too! And Sirius..."

"Yeah, but that's different," Regulus interrupted. "We're your cousins... apparently..."

"Oh," said Draco.

"Anyway," said Regulus. "He just thought that it _might_ be a possibility. Actually, he just sort of joked about it... and that idiot Mulciber overheard us and then he told Avery who told Nott and then Rosier and everyone else found out..." he stopped at the horrified look on Draco's face. "Uh, sorry... you probably don't know who any of these people are... but the point is, it spread out massively, and it _wasn't_ Sev's fault. It was all Mulciber, okay?" Then, he stopped again. "But don't try to get revenge now, okay? Mulciber is not the person to challenge... trust me..."

"And what makes you think _I'm_ the person to challenge?" said Draco at once.

"Come on," said Regulus, smiling. "You're like Dumbledore's son or whatever... you're _not_ a person anyone needs to fear."

"Yeah?" said Draco. "Well people can surprise you."

"Yeah, yeah," said Regulus, standing up. "Listen, I've got to go to Transfiguration. But... you won't tell Severus what I told you, will you? He's trying to forget it ever happened, and now that you and Liddell are a thing, he's feeling really relieved about it all."

"Yeah, I won't tell," said Draco, dismissively. "Will you talk to Sirius anytime soon?"

"No," said Regulus, at once. "Bye, Draco."

"Bye."

He watched him go and remained at the bench for a little longer than he'd wanted to, before he remembered that Severus was probably waiting for him in that deserted corridor on the seventh floor. Draco hurried over there and indeed found Severus leaning over his book and scribbling away.

"Hey," he said, approaching him.

Severus looked up.

"Hey," he said. "Sit down, I wanna talk to you."

Draco sat.

"I saw you at lunch," said Severus, closing the book in his lap. "You were with Lily."

"Yeah, and?"

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Me and Alice," said Draco, truthfully.

"Oh let me guess," said Severus. "It bothers her that you are with Alice because Alice is her friend, right?"

"Yeah," said Draco, frowning. "How did you know?"

"I know Lily," said Severus, simply. "Did she, uh... say anything else?"

"About?"

"Me?"

"Nah," said Draco. "I was annoying her too much."

"Are you sure she's been watching me?" said Severus suddenly. Draco stared at him. He looked desperate again... desperate and eager. Crap.

"Just sometimes in class," he lied.

"I don't get her," said Severus, leaning against the wall. "I mean... she tells me she never wants to talk to me again or have anything to do with me, and then here she is, hoping for a reunion again! I mean... why doesn't she just come talk to me already?"

"Girls are weird like that," Draco suggested, but Severus simply shook his head.

"Lily is not just any girl."

There was a pause.

"Well look, maybe _you_ should come talk to _her_ ," said Draco.

"Nah," said Severus. "I've tried that already...loads of times... and she just refuses to listen."

"Maybe she will this time," said Draco. "I mean, if she's still anything like the girl you knew back at Spinner's End, then I'm—"

"How did you know about Spinner's End?" said Severus at once.

"Uh, what?" said Draco, weakly.

"Spinner's End," Severus repeated, a little more quietly this time. "No one here knows that I'm from there. How did you know?"

"Oh," said Draco. "Um, I..."

Severus raised his eyebrows at him, but Draco was at a loss for words. He stared at him for a long time, trying to come up with something— _anything_ —that would explain his slip up yet again. He of course remembered the day when he'd accidentally found out where Severus was from, and how Severus had made him promise not to ever mention it again. Even back then, Draco was smart enough to realise that Severus was just not the type of person who wanted to talk about his past at all.

"I guess I must've just heard it... f-from..."

"Yes?" said Severus, still waiting.

Draco said nothing. Suddenly, the strangest feeling consumed him. It was like a powerful, invisible bubble trying to circle around his brain, pushing itself further and further in, in an almost desperate fashion. Draco blocked it at once, shoving the invisible thing back out with as much force as he possibly could. And then, Severus gasped.

"So you _do_ know it!" he hissed.

"Know what?" said Draco, blankly.

"Occlumency!" said Severus in an even lower voice. "Dumbledore must've taught you it, didn't he?"

"I..." said Draco, freezing at once. So _that's_ what that was! It did feel strangely a little like what Bellatrix had tried to do during her interrogation a few weeks before, but Severus' attempt at interfering in Draco's mind was far more amateur than that of Bellatrix.

"How do _you_ know it anyway?" he hissed back.

"I've been teaching it to myself," said Severus. "What is it that you think I do all day, homework and mope about Lily?"

"Well..." said Draco, slowly.

"Don't answer that," said Severus.

Draco laughed.

"So yeah," he said. "I do know it."

"And that means you probably know legilimency too," said Severus, dismissively.

"Y-yeah," said Draco. "That would explain why I knew about the Half Blood Prince's book and Spinner's End. Yep, that's it, alright."

"Hmm..." said Severus. "Yeah, I thought it must be it."

Draco smiled weakly, but Severus was still frowning at him.

"How did you know that I didn't just find out from Lily?" he dared ask.

"Well because Lily doesn't know about the Half Blood Prince's book," said Severus, " _And_ because I know her better than anyone else on the planet. She may be mad at me and all, but she'd never tell my secrets to another soul."

"And you don't want people to know you're from Spinner's End because...?"

"Because I just don't, alright?" snapped Severus. "Jeez, enough with the interrogations."

"Oh that's rich!" laughed Draco. "You might want to tell yourself that." Severus stared at him. "I mean, for weeks now, it's been nothing _but_ interrogations for me! Now you know how I feel..."

"Right," said Severus, quietly. "Sorry."

"Yeah," said Draco. "And besides, you're talking to someone who's from a _fucking muggle orphanage_... not to mention that I basically had no option to hide this humiliating fact from people. Everyone knows because I'm basically Dumbledore's prodigal son..."

Severus nodded and looked away from him, which was good considering Draco was now marvelling at how easy these lies came to him—how little he had to work at making them sound convincing. He was getting good at this.

"I wonder..." said Severus, thoughtfully, "Why I didn't feel you interfering with my mind?"

"Huh?"

"You know, when you found out the name of the book...or my hometown..."

"Oh, right," said Draco. "W-well, Dumbledore's taught me how to, uh, perform legilimency in a way that doesn't make your target suspicious."

"Huh," said Severus.

"What?"

"Well... I just find it really hard to believe that _Dumbledore_ , who's usually so correct and proper, was willing to teach you something that is thought to be a dark art..."

"Hey, you never know when it might come in handy," said Draco, quickly. "Besides, it's not that dark. It doesn't do anyone any harm..."

"Depending on how you use it," said Severus. "There are rumours that the Dark Lord himself is a master legilimens, and that he uses it to produce visions in the minds of his victims, designed to torture them into madness."

"Well yeah, but... the way _I_ use it, or the way Dumbledore taught me... it's harmless, trust me," said Draco.

Severus nodded again.

"I must admit, I just didn't expect this from _Dumbledore..._ "

"You don't know him like I do," said Draco, though even he wasn't sure of how true that statement really was.

"So," said Severus, slowly.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you feel the need to interfere with _my_ mind?"

Draco paused. His next choice of words would have to be very careful and cautious... otherwise, Severus would jump to more conclusions, and on and on the rumours would go.

"This is gonna sound really weird," he began. "But I think I can really relate to you..."

"Enlighten me, in what way?" said Severus.

"Well..." said Draco, slowly. "You... you seem like you're on the edge of the good and the bad. I mean, I'm no idiot. I know what goes on in the Slytherin common room on a daily basis... what sorts of things are talked about and what sorts of words are used to describe certain groups of people..." Severus grew serious instantly. "But then I look at Lily and how she's exactly the opposite of all that... and... well, it doesn't take much to put two and two together... she was obviously a huge influence on you up until now... I... I feel like you maybe struggle with choosing—"

"I don't," said Severus at once, silencing Draco. "I've chosen long ago."

"Yeah," said Draco. "Well, keep telling yourself that, but I know what I see."

"So what then, you struggle with choosing too?" he shot at him.

"Something like that," said Draco, smirking.

"Does... does Dumbledore know?" said Severus, more seriously.

"There is so much Dumbledore doesn't know," said Draco, who finally felt like he was himself again.

Severus smiled.

They spent the rest of the free period actually working for once, and Draco felt very pleased with their conversation. It was safe to assume that now, Severus trusted him... fully. Before, he was probably just as curious about the new kid as Draco was about this teenage version of the Severus he'd previously known. But now, it was like they had this joke or this secret between the two of them that no one else understood... and Draco knew perfectly well that this would come in handy later on.

After the bell, Draco said goodbye to Severus and went back to the common room to drop off his things. The Marauders were all up in the dormitory, sitting on their beds and talking when Draco came in.

"Hey there!" said Remus suddenly, looking very pleased for some reason. "How was your free period?"

"Fine," said Draco, dumping his bag on his bed and leaning against a wall. "How were the Runes?"

"Pretty boring today," said Remus, shrugging. "Professor Gorste said we'll get to the more interesting parts next month. Or at least, I hope we will."

"I think you will," said Peter.

Draco looked round at James and Sirius, who were both unusually quiet.

"What's going on?" he dared ask.

"Nothing," said all four boys at once.

"Uh huh..." said Draco. "Come on guys, you can trust me. What is it?"

For a split second, he'd actually thought they would come right out and say it. But then...

"Sirius and I have detention Wednesday night," said James.

"For what?" said Draco before he could stop himself.

"Oh it's just something stupid," said Sirius, who was stretched out on his bed. "We were trying to prove Professor Grubbly-Plank wrong during our lesson today and she didn't really seem to take it well."

"Personally, I think the class would be loads better if Hagrid was teaching it," said James.

And then Draco finally understood.

"So you _both_ have detention Wednesday night then," he said.

"Yep," they said together.

"When does it start?" said Draco.

"Uh dunno," said Sirius. "McGonagall said she'll just let us know that day at dinner when to come to her office."

"McGonagall's office, right?" said Draco.

"Yeah," said James. "But I'm sure you guys will all probably be asleep by the time we come back from it, so just don't bother waiting up for us or anything."

"Yeah," said Sirius. "So what do you guys wanna do until dinner?"

"Quidditch anyone?" said James.

Remus laughed. "Not today."

Draco stared at him.

"What?" said Remus.

"You seem in a pretty cheerful mood," Draco observed. "Is that... normal for someone with the flu?"

"The flu?" said James and Sirius together.

"Yes!" squeaked Peter. "The flu! Remus has the flu!"

"Oh _the flu_!" said Sirius. Remus kicked him at once and turned back to Draco.

"I have my good days and my bad days," he explained. "But I'm pretty sure that I'll be cured in just a few days...from the flu..."

And the next day, Remus acted like it too. He was happier than he'd ever been—more cheerful and lively than ever before. He laughed at absolutely every one of Sirius' pathetic jokes, and he was willing to listen to James ramble on about Quidditch for _hours_. Draco was actually starting to wonder whether Madame Pomfrey prescribed Remus with some kind of powerful cheering potions that made him all...well...

"I just love Christmas!" he said to the boys when they came straight to the common room after dinner on Tuesday night. Everyone else was hanging out in the Entrance Hall, and so they had the common room all to themselves. Remus had been talking about Christmas for about an hour already and it didn't look like he was going to stop anytime soon.

"Just everything about it!" he went on, "The snow, the presents, the traditions... families getting together..."

"Yeah, it's brilliant," Sirius muttered, collapsing on his usual couch by the fireplace.

"And speaking of families," said Remus as the rest of the boys sat down. "I have to tell you guys something."

"What's up?" said Sirius.

"I'm gonna have to go home tomorrow..."

" _What_?" said James, alarmed. "What for?"

"My mum is sick," Remus explained. "McGonagall talked to Dumbledore and they've agreed to let me go home. I'll spend the night there and then I'll be back Thursday night, I expect."

"Damn," said Sirius. "That's no fun. Sorry, mate."

"But we all wish your mother a speedy recovery!" said Peter.

"Thanks," said Remus, who was trying hard now not to meet Draco's eyes... a little too hard, in Draco's opinion.

And that's when Draco realised it... tomorrow night was going to be a full moon... _that's_ when it was probably gonna happen.

"Hey, so did you check it out?" James asked Sirius.

"Yeah I did!" said Sirius, sitting up suddenly. "It's just around the corner from the Ancient Runes classroom... you know, behind that statue of those three elves?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," said James.

"What are you guys talking about?" said Remus.

"Oh we just discovered a new hidden passageway," said James. "Hey Draco, could you run up and get the map? It's under my pillow."

"Yeah," said Draco.

He crossed over to the other side of the common room and climbed up the spiral staircase to the dormitory on the left. The map was actually peeking out from James' trunk, rather than under his pillow, and his cloak was draped over the window ledge in the corner. Draco thought about trying it on again—there was something about wearing the cloak that made you feel invincible and somehow protected—but then decided against it and grabbed the map before heading out. Just as he opened the door however, he heard Sirius' voice and froze.

"I wasn't _that_ obvious!" he was saying.

"You were _completely_ obvious!" said Remus.

"Relax guys, it's all good," said James. "He doesn't suspect a thing."

"Yeah, for now..." said Remus.

"I think he actually believed it though," said Peter.

"You always think that, Wormtail," said Sirius.

"Everybody, calm down," said James, and the room fell silent at once. "We're in the clear. Everything is fine. We just have to make sure that you, Peter, stay with Draco the entire night. Don't let him out of your sight, okay?"

"I've also asked Lily to keep an eye on him too," said Remus.

"What did you do that for?!" cried Sirius.

"She's one of my best friends!" said Remus.

"Oh and you don't trust us?" said Sirius. "Wow, thanks a lot."

"Sirius, _calm down_ ," said James. "It's Remus' decision what we do, after all. If he wants Lily there too—"

"I do."

"—then she can be there too."

"Yeah, whatever," said Sirius. "Just make sure you watch him the entire time, Pete."

"I will," said Peter.

"Yeah, we're all counting on you, Pete," said James.

"This is a big responsibility for you," said Remus.

"Guys, I'll take care of it. It'll all be fine."

"We hope so," said Sirius.

The portrait hole suddenly slid open and in climbed a sea of students, all of whom seemed to be holding up something very long and very scarlet. Draco hurried down the stairs to join the boys as they watched most of James' team, as well as twenty older students parade around the common room, chanting "WE WILL WIN! WE WILL WIN! WE WILL WIN!"

"What the bloody hell is all of this?" James exclaimed, shouting over their voices so that he could be heard.

Frank emerged from the excited crowd and put an arm around James.

"You like it?"

"What is it?" said James.

"It's a flag in honour of our team!" said Frank. "We ordered it weeks ago—it just came in tonight."

Draco looked over at the large red flag draped over the thirty-something students and spotted a hint of a golden lion embedded on the front. The common room was now extensively noisy with excitement and chatter.

"That's brilliant!" said Sirius. "Is this in preparation for the match on the 24th?"

"Hell yes!" said Frank. "Ravenclaw won't know what hit 'em!"

"You should've saved this for when we're playing against Slytherin," said James.

"We plan to bring this out every match, my friend," said Frank.

From the corner of his eye, Draco caught sight of Remus suddenly dropping to the floor, but because the common room was so full of excitement, no one but him, Sirius and Peter seemed to notice. At once, they hurried over to his side to help him up. Draco was a little startled to see the look of pain on Remus' face. He was wincing terribly and holding his left hip as though hundreds of knives were being forced through it.

"Peter, get the cloak," Sirius said at once, and Peter left in a hurry.

Draco helped Sirius hoist Remus to his feet and together, they started towards the portrait hole. James caught sight of them and tried to help, but was pulled away by the excited crowd. His teammates were now shouting exciting Quidditch things at him while Draco and Sirius pulled the still-wincing Remus nearer to the portrait hole. Peter suddenly emerged from the top of the stairs. He dashed down and around the crowd and tossed James' invisibility cloak at Sirius, who caught it gracefully. Draco tossed the map back to him too and caught Remus' arm just as he was about to slip again.

"Stay with James!" Sirius called out to Peter, and together, he, Draco and Remus left the common room.

"What do you need the cloak for?" Draco asked Sirius as they both dragged Remus along the corridor.

"You never know which teacher will cross paths with us on the way to the hospital wing," said Sirius, who was now unfolding the cloak and throwing it over them. It barely covered the three of them, and Draco was sure that someone roaming around the corridors would get a heart attack from seeing three pairs of shoes walking at their own accord.

They were barely out of Gryffindor Tower when Remus suddenly dived out of the cloak and lunged himself at the nearest arch, over which he vomited. Draco watched with disgust. When it was over, Sirius helped Remus back under the cloak, and pulled out his wand to clean up after him. Then, they were on their way again.

"Just relax, Moony, we're almost there," Sirius kept repeating as they walked.

"But I don't understand," said Draco, turning the corner. "He looked so fine this morning! And yesterday too... is... is this normal?"

"Um, _yeah_ ," said Sirius, staring at Draco. "Come on, haven't you ever had the flu before?"

"Oh," said Draco. "Right, yeah... the flu..."

They finally reached the hospital wing, and Draco was actually surprised to find that Madame Pomfrey was not yet asleep, despite it being nearly midnight. She hurried over to them at once and helped Remus into the nearest bed. He was completely soaked with sweat now, and his face had never looked paler. Draco watched him miserably, wishing there was something— _anything_ —he could do to make it somehow better. Transformation didn't look at all fun. He wondered when exactly it would happen... and how...

"Thank you, boys," said Madame Pomfrey, who now ushered Draco and Sirius out of the hospital wing.

"Will he be spending the night?" Draco asked Sirius once they'd gone.

"Yeah, for sure," said Sirius, whose hands were in his pockets now. Draco held on to James' invisibility cloak and looked around every corridor they passed for any lurking teachers. He too, didn't fancy getting another detention.

"You're probably wondering what the hell kind of flu this is," Sirius suddenly said.

Draco looked round at him. Was he... would he actually... surely he wouldn't tell him Remus' secret now... would he?

"Remus has always had a low tolerance for pain and sickness," Sirius said. "Whenever he gets sick, it's like... full-on, hardcore sick. It's been like that ever since he was a kid."

"I see," said Draco, trying hard to hide his disappointment.

"Anyways, I suppose it's good that he's going over to his mother's tomorrow... at least they can be sick together and we have nothing to worry about—"

"Are you gonna talk to Regulus?"

Sirius stopped to look at Draco.

"Um, _no_ ," he said, his eyebrow raised. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Don't you think it's about time you got over whatever grudge you're holding onto and just act like the bigger person?"

"You wanna tell me how this is any of your business though?"

Draco stared at Sirius. "Are you gonna answer every one of my questions with a question?"

Sirius sighed. "Look Draco, I like you and everything, but just stay out of it, okay?"

"No, I won't," said Draco. "And funnily enough, Regulus said the exact same thing to me when I talked to him about this."

"You talked to him about this?" said Sirius.

"Yeah, of course I did," said Draco. "You guys are like my family now and—"

"But we're _not_ your family, are we?" said Sirius.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Draco.

"It means that you should stop acting like you've known us all your life—you _haven't_ ," said Sirius, and without waiting for Draco to respond, he stormed away and into the nearest classroom that was open. Draco did not even hesitate to follow him inside. He shut the door behind him and watched Sirius pace around the classroom angrily.

"Well, aren't you gonna explain?" Draco shot at him.

Sirius wheeled around to look at him.

"It's none of your bloody business, alright?!" he shouted. "It's none of anybody's business!"

Draco pulled his wand out and cast the _muffliato_ charm over the door. Sirius' expression changed instantly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," said Draco. "I'll tell you later—and we're not finished here."

"What do you want from me?" said Sirius.

"I want you to explain to me just what is your problem with your own brother," said Draco.

"I can't," said Sirius. "You won't get it."

"Try me," said Draco.

Sirius sighed and resumed his pacing, while Draco took a seat at one of the empty desks. The moonlit classroom was actually quite spooky without the echo of students at desks and teachers rambling about useless information that they would never need to know beyond school.

"I'm not looking for pity, you know," said Sirius, suddenly, and Draco's eyes snapped back to him. "That's why I don't go around telling people what hell my life has been... even my close friends." Draco nodded, and Sirius looked around the empty classroom. "But you really don't know what it's been like growing up at my house, and be grateful for not ever having to know. Seriously... I'd much rather I had your upbringing instead." Draco raised an eyebrow. "It's... it's not just two brothers fighting for their parents' attention. I'm not that lame. I promise you, it is so—much—more—complicated than that."

"How so?" said Draco, beckoning Sirius to sit at the desk. Sirius hesitated before pulling up a chair. They were quiet for a long time. Sirius sat with his eyes on his lap and Draco watched him intently, not wanting to miss anything at all. He knew this was an important moment—he knew that tonight would determine whether Regulus and Sirius even stood a chance at all, because no matter what Regulus wanted, if Sirius was going to put his foot down, that would be it. Draco was at least sure of that much.

"You know there's a war going on now..." Sirius began in a very quiet voice. "And you know who perpetrated it..."

"I know a fair bit, yes," said Draco, calmly.

Sirius paused.

"The Dark Lord is heavily recruiting," he went on. "And as you can imagine, he prefers the pureblood supremacists as his main followers... the whole lot of them being Slytherins." He hesitated. "Well just think about it! Just use your logics—where is he gonna find Slytherin followers who are desperate enough to risk everything... and if they're not desperate, then they're fearful little cowards... _obviously_ he'll be recruiting among the young and ambitious."

"So within Hogwarts," said Draco, nodding.

Sirius looked up at Draco.

"He's gonna get to Regulus," he whispered. "I know he is. Heck, my parents would love for him to."

Draco leaned forwards, trying to keep his face concerned.

"I get why you'd think that," he said, "But why would he want some silly teenage boys to become his most loyal followers?"

"Because they're easiest to manipulate and to scare," said Sirius, his voice suddenly dark. "A-and because these silly teenage boys have family histories with the Death Eaters... you know the Death Eaters, they're his—"

"—his followers, yeah I know," said Draco.

Sirius nodded.

"So you think Regulus is next," said Draco into the silent classroom.

"I know he's next," Sirius whispered. Draco looked up at him. "He's been preaching pureblood idiocy for years now, but it's always just been about playing up to our parents... making them adore ickle little Reggie."

"So what's changed now?" said Draco.

Sirius hesitated before speaking.

"He's starting to believe it all himself now."

"How do you know?" said Draco, suddenly.

"Because we did have a talk..." said Sirius, "...the other night."

"Wait, _what?!"_

Sirius sighed. "I've known him his whole life... _obviously_ I tried to talk to him about our fight and about our mother and everything—I'm not an idiot."

" _And?_ "

"And I could just tell...by the way that he was talking and acting and everything... 'but Sirius, I'm sure if you just _tried_ to reason with them', 'Sirius, if you just gave it all a chance, I know you'd understand', 'Sirius, Sirius, Sirius'." He sighed again. "It's no use at this point—the kid's so far in, so brainwashed, that he'll never be coming out. It's only a matter of time."

"No it's not," said Draco at once. "Let me talk to him—I can reroute him."

"No you can't," said Sirius. "It's too late for that now."

"It's never too late," said Draco. "You could be so far in, literally on the verge of killing someone, and still turn away, believe me." Draco stopped himself before he could go any further, but Sirius was too distraught to have picked up on it. "Let _me_ speak to him, Sirius. I have an influence on the kid."

"You've only known him for a month, Draco. I've known him his whole life—"

"—which is why I need to be the one to do it," Draco concluded. "If he thinks I don't know any of your history or anything that might have happened in the past, he'll listen to me a little more because I can't judge him or give a partial opinion."

Sirius considered this, but then he put his face in his hands and groaned.

"I just want to stop thinking altogether," he moaned. "I just... ugh, can we just go to bed?"

"Yeah, let's go," said Draco.

They stood up and made for the classroom door, Sirius unfolding the cloak, when Draco suddenly said, "Hey how about that butterbeer?"

Sirius turned to look at him.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not?" shrugged Draco.

"I j-just thought..."

"Look, it's been a long night," said Draco. "And besides, I wanna go see this... Hogsmeade place. _And_ , we have James' cloak with us."

"Yeah, alright!" said Sirius, suddenly cheerful. "Here, hold this."

He handed Draco James' cloak and pulled out his wand. He paused for a second and then muttered "Expecto Patronum". To Draco's complete and utter shock, a silvery blue dog issued from the tip of Sirius' wand and turned to look at him happily.

"Tell James I've taken Draco to Hogsmeade and we'll be back later," Sirius told it. "Remus is with Pomfrey."

The dog nodded once and disappeared through the window. Sirius turned back to Draco and smirked.

"That was—"

"You can do the Patronus Charm?!"

Sirius paused. "Uh, yeah... you know about it?"

"Y-yeah," said Draco, hesitating. "Yeah, I must've read about it somewhere. Wait, so you know how to do it? How long have you been able to?"

"Just a few years," shrugged Sirius. "We all can produce it... well, Peter's charm is more of a... silver mist..." he frowned. "Yeah, he hasn't been able to produce any real shape yet but he's getting there slowly."

They left the classroom together, both under the cloak and tiptoeing their way along the dark corridor. Draco wanted to ask Sirius what memory he was using, but decided it was best not to just yet.

"Turn here," Sirius hissed into Draco's ear. "We're lucky I have that map all up here," he pointed to his brain. "Take a right here. No, no, just here. Yep."

They reached a tapestry and Sirius left the cloak's boundaries and pushed aside a small statue of a goblin to reveal a hidden passageway.

"In you go," he said to Draco, who followed him inside.

They climbed through the tunnel for what felt like ages, both of them keeping as silent as possible. Meanwhile, Draco thought a lot about their conversation back in that classroom, and how he would now have to seriously put aside all the other rubbish that he's been concerned with—Quidditch, Patronus Charm, Severus and Lily, keeping up in classes—and focus completely and solely on the most important thing of all... keeping Regulus away from the dark path for which he was headed.

They finally reached some kind of door at the end of the tunnel, and Sirius pushed it open. Draco climbed out after him, and then watched Sirius replace the portrait from which they'd just climbed out and pull the cloak over them again.

"This way," he said, leading their way through what looked like an old and abandoned shop. Draco stared around for a few seconds as they made their way around empty shelves, until he finally recognised it as the future Hog's Head.

"W-what kinds of shops are there here?" he asked Sirius as they went outside and started heading for the infamous Three Broomsticks, which was actually still open despite the late hour.

"Loads," said Sirius. "We'll give you a proper tour when we come back here during daylight with our class."

Draco nodded under the cloak.

They reached the Three Broomsticks and Sirius pulled the cloak off of them and stashed it under his arm. He then led the way through the bar to where a much younger, more slender-looking version of Madame Rosmerta was laughing with a group of men as she served them their drinks.

"Hey there Rose," said Sirius, taking a seat at the bar.

She turned to look at him and her smile faltered slightly.

"Just a little past your bedtime, isn't it, Sirius?" she said, her eyes lingering over Draco.

"Bedtime? Please," said Sirius. "I'm just doing my friend here a courtesy favour... he's new to the area and I thought I'd introduce him to your famous butterbeers."

"Oh how nice of you," she replied sarcastically. She then turned to Draco and held out her hand. "Madame Rosmerta."

"Draco Black," said Draco, taking it in his.

"Black?" she said, her eyebrows rising. "Oh, so _this_ is the boy everyone's been talking about!"

"The one and only," said Sirius, grinning. "So, how about those butterbeers?"

"Oh hold on, hold on," she said, rolling her eyes as she zoomed away from them.

Sirius laughed.

"Neat bar," said Draco, looking around. The place hadn't changed in the slightest. He swore he'd been there just yesterday with Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Yeah, this is a popular hangout spot for Hogwarts students," said Sirius.

"She won't tell anyone she saw us here...?" said Draco, his eyes on Madame Rosmerta who was now preparing their drinks behind the bar.

"Nah, Rose and I go way back," said Sirius.

"You two...?" said Draco.

"Oh jeez, no!" said Sirius. "Come on, I know you guys think I'm a whore and everything, but I'm not _that_ bad!"

Draco laughed.

"There you go," said Madame Rosmerta, who came back with their butterbeers and handed them to them. "Enjoy."

"We will," said Sirius.

She smiled once at Draco and left.

"Cheers," said Sirius before taking a large swig of his drink.

Draco did the same. Yep, it was a butterbeer alright. He went on drinking and drinking until he finally noticed Sirius watching him.

"Well?" he said.

"Oh," said Draco, choking on the last bit. "It's very good. Yeah, very nice."

Sirius smiled weakly, and then put his drink down.

"Listen, thanks for doing this," he said. "I know you didn't really want to... we could get in trouble and all that... but I really needed this."

"Yeah, I know," said Draco.

They watched the various witches and wizards at the bar for a few minutes before Draco turned to Sirius again.

"So James knows how to produce the Patronus Charm too?"

"Yep," said Sirius. "His is a stag."

"A-and Remus?"

Sirius hesitated. "His is a dog... like mine."

Draco nodded.

"So what was that spell you performed back there on the door?"

"Oh," said Draco, having forgotten about that already. "That was just a simple silencing charm."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, it's meant to create this sort of buzzing in the ears of anyone passing by, so they'll have no idea that someone's in that classroom..."

"What's it called?"

"Muffliato."

"Where do you know it from?"

Draco paused, remembering one night back at home when Severus had stayed for dinner. After Draco's parents had left the room to argue about whatever job the Dark Lord had assigned them next, Severus had tried cheering Draco up by teaching him a few spells of his own invention. Though, he would never ever admit that cheering Draco up was what he was actually trying to do. Draco snapped back to the present and Sirius was still watching him, eyebrows slightly raised.

"Dumbledore," he said, simply. That was his answer to everything nowadays.

"Huh," said Sirius. "How's it performed?"

He pulled out his wand and did a kind of circle with it, imitating what Draco had done back in the classroom. Draco watched him.

"No, no, like this," he said, lifting his wand and turning it the other way.

"Ah," said Sirius. "Wicked."

Draco raised his glass to him and continued drinking.

"Just out of curiosity," he said a while later, "When did you and James and everyone else meet and like... become friends and stuff?"

Sirius finished his drink and signaled Madame Rosmerta for another one. Only after she brought it and he flashed her a grin, he turned to Draco.

"James and I met on the Hogwarts Express in first year," he began. "We started talking about Quidditch and then it just kind of spiraled from there... Lily was in the compartment too. Even back then, I could tell he fancied her because he kept looking at her when he thought I wasn't looking. Huh, Snape was there too. I forgot about that."

"Snape?" said Draco. "Did you guys talk?"

"Just enough to find out what a nosey git that one is," said Sirius, dismissively. "He was all 'Lily, Slytherin is the best!' 'Lily, you'd better be in Slytherin!' 'Lily, you're mine forever!'"

"He did not!" said Draco.

"He did!" laughed Sirius. "I swear it, ask James!"

"Well what about Remus and Peter?"

Sirius thought for a minute. "We met Remus during dinner, just after the sorting. James and I thought he was a bit of a git because he was all 'school is the most important thing' and all that rubbish. But then he turned out to be like a sort of older brother to us... even though out of the four of us, I'm the oldest."

"You are?" said Draco, frowning.

"Yeah, I'm almost a full year ahead," said Sirius. "My birthday's actually in a month." He looked down at his watch, which read 1:40 in the morning, and said, "Huh, it's Wednesday the 30th, isn't it? So in a month exactly..."

Draco nodded.

"We met Wormtail that same night," Sirius went on. "After the feast, we found him crying in the bathroom. Someone had stepped on his glasses. Oh yeah, he had glasses back then. Anyways, Remus fixed the glasses and James and I took care of the bully. And then the three of us brought Peter to our dormitory and it's been just ours all this time. I mean, McGonagall did try to put someone else with us, lots of times over the years, but..."

"Why did you guys let me join then?"

Sirius smiled. "Cause we're family."

Draco laughed.

"So what did you and James do with the bully?"

"Oh we just hung him by his shirt on a tree," said Sirius, shrugging. "We used to do that a lot back then."

"So," said Draco, frowning down at his drink. "You reckon the whole... James crushing on Lily thing...began even on the first train ride to Hogwarts?"

"Yep," said Sirius. "Although, James will never admit it. But I'm not an idiot—I saw the look on his face when we entered the compartment and saw her sitting there."

Draco nodded.

"The poor kid was practically drooling," laughed Sirius, taking another sip of his drink.

"What about Snape?" said Draco.

"What about him?"

"Well, if he and Lily were so close back then... how did it... like when did it...?"

"I'd say, being sorted into two completely opposing houses did the trick," said Sirius. "He became all protective and obsessive... _and_ possessive over her... I know because we used to sneak around in James' cloak _a lot_ back then... that's practically what we did every night...and once we spied on Lily talking to Mary MacDonald and she was complaining about how she felt like Snape was trying to be her father and brother and boyfriend all at the same time."

"So she knew that he fancied her then...?"

"No," said Sirius, slowly. "No, I don't think Lily ever quite understood. Only a guy will be able to understand, you know?" Draco nodded. "Anyway, they sort of stopped talking as the years went by and then they had that big fight last year when he called her... well, you know... and then it's been silence ever since. Well, what am I telling you all this for? Remus has already told you..."

"Yeah," said Draco, sipping his drink again. "I'm just wondering how 'Snape and Lily' connects to 'James and Lily'."

"It's simple," said Sirius. "James and Lily do not exist. I mean, sure, James would like for them to. But they don't... which is a shame, in my opinion, because she's actually a nice girl. Stubborn as hell and crazy about school—like Remus—but overall nice... and super damn fine."

Draco laughed.

"Say, do you know what you're gonna do for our next prank yet?" said Sirius, suddenly. "Because I've got some ideas. I know James told me not to help you out but it's been _ages_ since it was my turn to pick the prank and I'm just... _itching_ to try out these few ideas I have."

"Hey," said Draco, at once, turning in his chair fully to face Sirius. "I'm all ears. Whaddaya got?"

They returned to the common room just before 3 AM, and were surprised to find that James and Peter were sitting by the fireplace waiting for them, both fully awake. At the sight of them climbing in through the portrait hole, James got to his feet.

"How's Remus?" he asked at once.

"He's fine," said Sirius. "What the hell are you guys still doing up? We dropped him off at the hospital wing hours ago!"

"I dunno," James mumbled. "It felt weird to just go to sleep."

"But you got my patronus, didn't you?" said Sirius.

"Yeah," said James, who was now heading upstairs for the dormitory. The boys all followed him. "So where've you guys been this whole time?"

"Three Broomsticks," said Sirius, who began to undress.

Peter was already in his pajamas so he collapsed into his bed and James sat on the window ledge instead.

"What'd you think of it?" he asked Draco.

"It was cool," said Draco. "We should come back there in the daylight though."

"We will," Sirius promised. He got into bed and sighed deeply.

"I suppose tomorrow will be rather dull with Remus gone," he said.

"Yeah, but we have our _detention_ ," James told him. "So we won't have time to get bored."

"Yeah, right," said Sirius.

"Did... were there any problems... getting Remus to the hospital wing?" James asked after a moment's silence, his eyes mostly on Sirius.

Sirius' face changed slightly.

"Yeah, he threw up a couple of times," he said, quietly.

"Damn," said James. "After your patronus, we sent a message to the hospital wing to check on him and Pomfrey said he threw up there too."

Draco got into bed and turned to face the ceiling, wondering why the hell they were willing to discuss all this in front of him.

"I hate the flu," Sirius muttered.

Draco wanted to laugh, but the image of Remus throwing up over the statue a few hours ago was now starting to haunt him. He could feel a lump in his throat again, and just turned around in his bed so that his back was facing the others. He drowned out their conversations and tried very hard not to think about what would be happening to Remus at precisely this time tomorrow.

* * *

 **Poor Moony...**


	13. Holiday Special

**Author's Note : This chapter is a "special", brought to you in the Lily Evans POV. We've decided to write it in light of this month being the birth month of one of the co-authors of this story! We wish them all the best AND we hope you all love this chapter as much as we do! Enjoy**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 13: HOLIDAY SPECIAL

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?" Lily said for the thousandth time as she continued to pull Mary's arm.

"I don't want to!" Mary whined, trying to pull it back. "Stop trying to make me—I said no."

"And _I_ said, _please_ ," Lily told her.

It was Wednesday evening, and the two girls were the only ones in their dormitory. It had already been fifteen minutes of Lily trying to pressure Mary into joining her in the common room where she could keep an eye on Draco, like she'd promised Remus she would. But Mary was being very persistent tonight.

"Pettigrew's weird, okay?" she said. "And this Draco person…"

"I'm asking you as a friend!" Lily told her. " _Please_ come with me!"

"Well why do you have to go at all?" said Mary, pulling her arm back out of Lily's grasp.

Lily sighed.

"It's important to Remus. I promised him I'd keep an eye on Draco tonight."

"Why?" said Mary, narrowing her eyes.

Lily shrugged. "He just said it was important to him that I do."

"Isn't he, like, at home now or something? Isn't his mother sick? Didn't Dumbledore give him special permission to leave the school?"

"Yeah," said Lily, blankly.

Mary sighed.

" _Please_?" Lily tried again.

"I don't want to, Lily," said Mary. "I mean, I've never talked to this Draco person before...I'm not sure I'm comfortable..."

"He's not dangerous, I promise," Lily said, quickly.

Mary rolled her eyes at her. "Yeah, like you can tell when someone's dangerous or not. Don't make me laugh."

"Mary," said Lily, urging her to look at her. "Draco is _not_ Mulciber."

Mary said nothing, but continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"I worry about you, you know," Lily added, sitting on the edge of her bed. Mary did not look at her. "You used to be so fun...so full of life."

"I'm still full of life," said Mary. "Just...more carefully now, that's all."

"Yeah well that's the same thing," said Lily, smiling at her amidst the sarcasm.

Mary however did not smile back, but said, "Look, I'd just much rather go to bed, okay?"

"It is 8 o'clock on a Wednesday evening," said Lily. "You're really gonna go to bed now?"

"Might," said Mary, shrugging. "I'll maybe just read for a bit..."

" _Or_ you could come downstairs and hang out with us!" said Lily, excitedly. When Mary rolled her eyes at her, Lily added, "You should get out a little more."

"I do get out."

"Only to classes and meals..."

"Am I supposed to get out more than that?"

"Uh, YEAH!"

Mary sighed and jumped off of her bed.

"Fine," she said, following Lily who opened the dormitory door. "I'll go just so that you'll stop bothering me about always getting out. I _do_ see people, okay? I'm not a loner."

"Good, that's what I like to hear!" said Lily. "Shall we?"

Mary groaned but followed her down the stairs nonetheless.

The common room was fairly noisy tonight, with students scattered all over the place in their books or card games. But it was still easy to spot Peter and Draco. They were sitting in the spot where Potter's lot usually sat, just by the fireplace. It was like their marked territory. That really annoyed Lily.

She pulled Mary down the stairs and headed straight for the two boys. Peter seemed to be trying to convince Draco of something when they finally reached them.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" he was saying.

"What will?" Lily asked, smiling politely at him.

"Monopoly?" said Mary, looking down at the board game on the table in front of them. "Are you serious?"

"I'll play," said Lily, shrugging. "Why not? It's a good game."

"Yeah okay," said Mary, hesitating before sitting down next to Lily.

Excited, Peter picked up the pieces and placed them on the "Start" square.

"Well," said Draco, who was looking down at it with disgust. "I mean, how do you play anyway?"

Peter went on to explain the rules of Monopoly, while Lily organised the money and Mary sort of hugged herself as she sat beside her, waiting. When Peter was finished, Draco looked like he would rather go live in the Forbidden Forest than sit here and play this game with them. But Lily disregarded this nonetheless, and offered him one of the pieces on the board. He took it from her without a word.

"So now," said Peter, putting down the question cards. "We play!"

"No kidding," Mary muttered, but Lily was sure no one else besides her had heard.

Draco frowned at Mary, who was still holding herself. "Are you...cold or something?"

Mary's arms quickly flew to her lap and she shook her head quickly.

"Let's just play," Lily told the group, distracting them from Mary, who was now slightly red in the face.

The first twenty minutes or so passed rather mutely, with only a few game-related words exchanged. Draco seemed to learn the concept of the game fairly quickly, as he was now ahead of everyone in terms of cash. Lily was just behind him, followed by Peter and then Mary, who had only learned how to play this game last summer when she'd slept over at Lily's house and Lily had tried to include Petunia in their games. That hadn't gone too well...

"So where did you learn how to play such a dull game anyway, Pete?" Draco eventually asked.

Peter reddened slightly.

"I—"

"It's not _dull_ ," Lily said, quickly. Draco turned his head to look at her. "It's actually a very intellectual game, to be played by those who appreciate maths...and business."

"Whatever," said Draco, leaning back in his chair tiredly. "I'm bored."

He sounded a lot like James and Sirius in that way. Lily really hated that.

"Where _do_ you know it from?" Mary suddenly asked Peter.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"M-my cousin is a muggle," he explained. "W-w-we used to play it all the time when we were kids."

"Oh," said Mary.

"Where do y-you know it from?" he asked her.

Mary smirked at Lily, who kept her eyes on the board in front of her.

"I spent a summer at Lily's," Mary explained to the group at large. "Her sister was fonder of the game than she was of me... _or_ of Lily, for that matter..."

"Well we don't need to talk about that now," Lily muttered, rolling the dice and moving her piece four places.

"No kidding," said Draco, suddenly sitting up again. "You have a sister?"

It took a while before Lily registered that he was talking to her. She looked up at him and frowned.

"W-what?"

"And she's a muggle?" he said. "Huh."

Lily scowled at him. He knew, perfectly well, that she had a muggle sister. She'd mentioned it in Muggle Studies just a few weeks before. What on earth was he playing at now?

"Yes," she said, slowly. "I have a muggle sister. Can we move on now?"

"What's her name?" said Draco.

"Petunia," Mary answered, and Lily kicked her foot under the table. Mary only frowned at her.

"Petunia Evans," said Draco. "And how does she feel about you going to Hogwarts and her...well, to whatever muggle school she's at?"

Lily looked up at him. "Why do you care?"

He shrugged. "Just curious...I wanna know how muggle and witch siblings are with each other. I'm an only child, see..."

"Oh," said Lily, frowning. "Well...the truth is, she's grown more okay with it over the years."

Mary laughed.

"She has!" Lily added. "But it took her a long time..."

"I'll say," said Mary.

Lily gave her a look.

"Your folks are still over at Spinner's End?" said Draco.

Lily frowned at him. "I'm not from Spinner's End...why did you think I..." She stared at him, frowning, and then understood. "I'm from Cokeworth. It's within _walking distance_ of Spinner's End."

Her eyes met his, and she knew that he understood from the vicious look she was giving him now, that there was no need to mention Severus in front of the others. Lily was actually surprised that Severus had told Draco where he was from. Normally, he was very private about this sort of thing, and she knew that he'd never told any of his Slytherin friends this. But she still couldn't understand why he trusted _this_ kid, whom he hardly knew, over the friends he'd had for years now at Hogwarts? Something wasn't right here...

"Where were you brought up then?" Lily found herself asking.

Draco moved his piece eight squares and passed a few bills along to Mary, who had a house there.

"Southern England," he mumbled once the transaction had been made.

"I see," said Lily, handing the dice to Peter who proceeded to roll them.

"So your whole family are muggles then," said Draco moments after.

Lily looked up at him, puzzled.

"Yes, I already said they are," she said. "What does it matter?"

"It doesn't," he said, turning to look at Mary. "How about you?"

Mary looked slightly startled at being addressed by Draco, in what Lily concluded to be an unnecessarily rude tone of voice.

"I'm a half-blood," Mary said, quietly.

"Why do you care what blood we have?" Lily shot at Draco.

With his eyes on the board on the table, he said through gritted teeth, "I'm just making conversation."

"Well it doesn't matter what our blood origins are," Lily said to the group at large. "It doesn't matter what anybody's are. We all have magic in us and that is why we are united."

"Yeah, but unfortunately, not many will agree with you on that," Mary said quietly, "At least not now, anyway."

"That's just stupid people who are brainwashed by the stupid propaganda," Lily told her. "I don't care what the rest of the wizarding world thinks...what those dirty Death Eaters are preaching..."

"For now," said Mary. "But when they go after you and your family—"

"They won't," said Lily.

"And how do you know that?" said Mary.

Lily sighed. They had been over this many times before.

"I've spoken with McGonagall about this, and she's spoken with Dumbledore," she explained, tiredly. "He is not concerned, therefore we do not need to be concerned."

"Yet," Mary mumbled.

Lily ignored her. Truth be told, the thought had crossed her mind far too many times over the last few months, as the Death Eater raids had grown more frequent and the Prophet articles more detailed. But Lily knew that lying about her blood origin, as Mary had so wisely suggested this past summer, was not an option. She was not about to go pretending to be something she wasn't.

"They're only targeting muggle-borns then?" Draco asked in a quiet voice.

The others nodded.

"Looks like it," said Mary. "Well, muggle-borns and half-breeds too, possibly."

"But I mean the ministry is well aware of what's happening," Lily added. "And besides, as long as we're at Hogwarts with Dumbledore as headmaster, we're safe."

"We?" said Draco.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Us _muggle-borns_ ," she said. "We don't all have a famous pureblood name to waltz around with."

"A name that I wasn't even aware to be famous until quite recently," Draco hissed at her.

Lily ignored him. She wasn't here to fight tonight. She was here to keep an eye on him, and to possibly interrogate him if she could...but at the rate of how this game was going, she doubted she would get anywhere unless they moved on to something else. And soon.

"I still think you need to warn your parents," Mary added after a moment's silence.

"They're aware of the situation," Lily told her, for the hundredth time probably. "Honestly, I know what I'm doing. Let's just play the game. Here, it's your turn to roll."

She handed her the dice and Mary sighed before rolling them.

"It is pretty scary right now, w-with the war going on and all," Peter said suddenly.

"Most people are afraid to leave the house nowadays," Mary added.

"Isn't the minister doing anything at all?" said Draco. "What's his name again?"

"Harold Minchum," Lily answered. "And all he's doing nowadays, from what I've gathered, is just adding more of those awful creatures to guard Azkaban."

"He seems to think that'll do the trick," said Mary, "In getting rid of the Dark Lord, I mean."

"He's an idiot," Lily concluded.

Draco raised his eyebrows at her.

"Well he's not doing anything for the country!" Lily defended.

"Who is he succeeding?" said Draco.

"Eugenia Jenkins," Lily answered before Mary could. "She was a lot smarter than he ever will be, but not everyone seemed to agree."

When Draco looked confused, Mary added, "They pretty much chased her out of office, claiming that she wasn't fit to handle the wizarding world at war."

"She was in office for seven whole years, two of which were war-free," Lily explained, passing a couple of bills to Peter.

"So you're telling me that nothing is being done to stop the Dark Lord?" said Draco, suddenly. "Seriously?"

"By the looks of it," said Lily, nodding. "I don't think anything will truly be done unless someone else steps up…unless young people like us take action and spread the word."

"Oh here we go again," said Mary, rolling her eyes.

"What?" said Lily. "It's true!"

"All _you_ need to be worrying about is keeping yourself and your family safe, Lily," Mary told her. "You are like at the top of the list of groups those…those… _people_ are targeting. You're hardly in any place to speak up for anyone now and start preaching your own beliefs. They'll slaughter you if you do!"

There was silence.

"It's definitely a s-scary time to be an alive muggle-born," Peter agreed, quietly.

Lily looked round at them all and then grabbed the dice from Draco and rolled it.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight," she told them.

After another half hour or so, the portrait hole slid open and in climbed Alice, looking frantic and pissed. Lily frowned and watched as Alice looked around the common room wildly (no doubt for someone to rant to). When she spotted Lily, she motioned for her to come over. Lily sighed.

"Excuse me," she said, putting down the bills she was counting.

She got up and followed to where Alice was standing.

"What on earth has happened now?" she asked.

Alice pulled her aside so that they weren't in earshot of anyone, but the portrait hole slid open again and Frank appeared, also looking ticked off. Alice scowled at him as their eyes met, and he scowled right back and went to sit with his seventh-year buddies on the other end of the common room.

"What was it this time?" sighed Lily.

" _He pisses me off_ ," Alice hissed, her eyes still on Frank, whose friends were now asking him what was wrong.

"Well what happened?" Lily asked, glancing backwards to find Mary, Peter and Draco all watching her.

"I was in the library," Alice began, turning Lily's attention back to her. "He spotted me and walked over to ask what I was doing. I told him what books I was looking for and he made a little bit of small talk, and then he asked me what I was doing with Draco Black."

"And what did you tell him?" said Lily.

"I told him that it wasn't really any of his business and that I was free to date whomever I pleased," she said.

"Are you seriously telling me that he argued with you because of this?" said Lily, incredulously. After all, it didn't sound like Frank at all.

"Oh no," said Alice, "Just the opposite! He was _okay_ with it!"

Lily frowned. "I'm confused."

"That slimy bugger gave me a speech about how I deserved the very best and that Draco seemed like a good guy and that we looked good together and blah, blah, blah..."

"I don't understand..." Lily repeated.

"...and then, get this...he said, 'I'll always be there for you, no matter what. We're friends, aren't we?'"

"Well...aren't you?" said Lily.

"NO!" Alice bellowed at her, causing several third years near them to turn their heads.

"Alice, I don't get it," said Lily once Alice had shooed them off. " _You_ were the one who broke it off with him, remember?"

"Yeah, because I was angry that we wanted different things, not because I stopped loving him!"

Lily stared at her as the impact of these words hit her.

"You still love him?" she whispered.

"No," said Alice, quickly.

"That's what you just said," Lily reminded her. "I...I can't believe that you still love him..."

"Yeah...well... _he_ still loves _me!"_ Alice said, crossing her arms stubbornly.

Lily looked over at Frank, who turned his head quickly away from her and Alice. She looked back at Alice, who now had a sad expression on her face.

"Why are you with Draco then, if your loyalties still lie with Frank?" Lily asked.

"Because Frank is an idiot," Alice muttered. "A stupid idiot that I just can't get over..."

"Alice," Lily began, but evidently Alice wasn't listening anymore.

Her eyes darted to where Frank sat, now laughing with his seventh-year buddies. And before Lily could stop her, Alice was making her way over to where Draco was sitting with the others. Lily quickly followed suit.

"...congratulations, collect two hundred pounds from the bank," said Draco, smiling to himself as he put down the card and Mary handed him the bills.

"Hello there," Alice said brightly to the group at large.

"Hey Alice," said Mary, who was now rolling the dice.

"Hey Draco," Alice said, smiling down at him.

"Hey," he said, looking up at her, puzzled. "How...how are you?"

"I'm really well," she said, taking a seat right next to him. "And yourself?"

"Fine," Draco said. "We're just playing this muggle game here...Monopoly, I think it's called...and...uh, Alice, what are you doing?"

Alice had now put both her arms around his neck and was listening intently, while her eyes flickered over to Frank.

"Just having a chat with my boyfriend, that's all," she said, innocently yet quite loudly.

Frank's head turned. Lily sighed and took her seat again, accepting the dice that Mary now passed to her.

"R-right," said Draco, slowly. "Anyway, you, uh, wanna play with us?" He turned his head to Mary. "We can add another player in, right?"

"W-well actually," said Peter, "I-it's a game for four."

"Damn," said Alice. "Well, as much fun as it would be, I actually have a paper due that I should probably get started on tonight."

"Well that's too bad," said Lily, quickly. "But I guess you should probably get to it. Like right now."

"Yep," said Alice, nodding. "But I wanted to ask you," she turned her head back to Draco and sort of settled herself on his lap, her arms still bound around his neck. Lily turned to look at Frank who was now watching Alice with sadness in his eyes. What on earth was she putting him through?!

"Would you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next month?" Alice asked Draco loudly. "I can show you around and we can spend some time near the owlery."

"Uh, sure," said Draco, slowly. "Yeah, that um, that sounds good."

"Great!" said Alice. She looked over his shoulder to find that Frank had turned his back on her and was dealing cards to his friends now. Outraged, Alice pulled Draco into a kiss which startled him at first, but eventually he leaned in to it, closing his eyes too. Lily watched with fury, unable to understand how Alice could do this to Frank.

When she finally pulled away from Draco, Alice sighed happily and bid the group goodnight. She then got up, looked around the common room innocently, and waltzed up to her dormitory. Lily scowled after her. She'd never been in a serious relationship herself, but she could only imagine what hell this must be for Frank, seeing as how he was clearly still in love with Alice.

For as long as Lily could remember, those two had been back and forth, and in her opinion, they were just wasting their time with this bickering nonsense. After all, there was a war going on now and time was limited. If she had someone whom she was crazy passionate about as they were with each other, she wouldn't waste her time. Every second would be precious.

"Excuse me," Lily said, getting up again.

"It's your turn," Mary pointed out.

"Take it for me," said Lily, simply. "I have to go to the bathroom."

And she really did go to the bathroom...the bathroom just happened to be upstairs in the dormitory where Alice just happened to be sitting by the window and staring out at the full moon in the night sky.

"The owlery, huh?" said Lily, closing the door behind her. She sighed. "How could you think of doing that to Frank?"

Alice turned her head to look at her, and Lily paused. Tears were shimmering down her cheeks.

"Oh Alice," she said, rushing over to hug her.

"I hate the person that he's making me into," she whispered, hugging Lily back. "This isn't me...this jealous freak who's thinking of nothing else."

"Alice," said Lily, pulling away from her and wiping the tears from her eyes. "I think you just need some distance. Just take some time to yourself, focus on yourself and the things that you love...and hopefully time will tell what the best course of action to take is."

Alice nodded and wiped the rest of her tears.

"You're right," she said, sighing. "You're always right. Lily, are you sure you've never been in a relationship?"

Lily shrugged. "Not a serious one."

"Well, you'd be very good at it," said Alice, and Lily let out a small laugh.

"Go on, go finish your game," Alice told her. "I'll be fine. I just wanna be here for a while. And I still have to write that paper."

"Okay," said Lily. "Feel better soon."

"Thanks."

Lily waved goodbye to her and hurried back out of the dormitory. But as she made her way back to the group, she realised that she had no interest in wasting her time anymore with this board game nonsense and stories of politics and childhoods. She had more important things to figure out tonight, and a promise to Remus which she had every intention to keep. Even though Lily herself doubted that Draco knew anything about Remus' secret, she was still going to do her best to find out, for her friend's sake.

And Lily only knew one harmless, innocent, and legal way to find out information without being suspected.

"Hey guys," she said, brightly, once she'd returned.

Peter sighed. "Draco just got his third monopoly."

"Wow, that's brilliant," said Lily, impressed.

But Draco only shrugged and organised the bills in front of him from least to greatest value. Mary instantly pulled Lily back into her seat and hissed at her, "Why did you leave me here alone with them?"

"I had to take care of something," Lily whispered back, before sitting up and clearing her throat. "So since the game is almost practically done, wanna play something else?"

"Yes," said Draco, Peter and Mary at once.

"What did you have in mind?" Mary asked.

"Truth," said Lily, simply.

* * *

"Truth," Draco repeated. "Is that some kind of a joke?"

"No," laughed Lily. "It's a game. Haven't you ever heard of it?"

Both Draco and Peter shook their heads.

"Well how's it played?" said Draco.

"Ever heard of Truth or Dare?" said Lily.

The boys slowly shook their heads again.

"It's a muggle game," Lily explained, frowning at the look Mary was now giving her. "Truth or Dare is when you take turns picking either truth, meaning you're asked a question by the group and you have to answer it truthfully, or dare..."

"Meaning?" said Draco.

" _Meaning_ the group assigns you a task to do and you have to do it, no matter how humiliating or embarrassing it is," said Mary, quietly.

"Sounds lame," Draco snorted.

Lily turned to look at him. "So this is like that, except minus the _lame_ dare part."

"Yeah, you just take turns asking each other...uh, questions...and you have to answer truthfully," said Mary.

"Okay, and how do we know if the person is answering truthfully?" said Draco.

"It's more like a code of honour," said Lily. "If you want to play the game fairly, that is, if you want answers yourself, you tell the truth."

"I think I've heard of it," said Peter, frowning.

"You have two minutes to answer all the questions you can," said Mary. "But I'm not gonna play. I'll just time you all."

Lily glanced sideways at Mary, but she only avoided her eyes and undid her watch. Lily sighed. Before the incident with Mulciber, this had been Mary's only favourite game, and it was usually _she_ who was trying to persuade _Lily_ to play, and not the other way around.

"When time's up, the last person who'd asked a question gets to challenge someone next," Mary explained to the boys. "Oh yeah, you challenge someone to a game of truth. That's how it works. Oh and every time it's your turn, you add an extra question. So like, if you ask him a question, then he asks you one, then you ask him two, then he asks you two, and on and on you go until time's up."

"A-and the person who manages to ask more questions wins?" said Peter.

"No," said Lily. "The person who finishes last gets to start the next game and challenge someone."

"Oh," said Peter.

"Okay, so what kinds of questions do we ask, exactly?" said Draco.

Lily shrugged. "Anything you want."

"Well no," said Mary, slowly, and Lily gave her a pointed look. "I mean," said Mary, laughing slightly at Lily, "They're more... _personal_ questions, if you know what I mean..."

Draco smirked. "Now _this_ game, I'll play."

Lily scowled at Mary. If this was her way of getting back at her for suggesting this game...

"Okay," said Lily to the group at large. "Since you won the last game, Draco, I suppose you can go first—"

"Perfect!" he said, sitting up suddenly. "I challenge Lily for one round of Truth."

Lily sat up too and flashed him a "go ahead" smile. She was ready for this. There was nothing he could throw at her that she couldn't handle.

"Ready...?" said Mary, who was looking down at her watch. "Aaaaand go."

"Ever had sex?" said Draco at once, his smirk greater than ever.

Lily's smile did not falter, for which she was very proud. She'd obviously expected a question like this, though admittedly, not right away...the _nerve_ of this kid!

"No," she said, simply. "I've never had sex. I'm sixteen, after all. It's not a crime."

"Ah," said Draco, still smirking. "Thought so...Your turn."

Lily gave a small cough before she said, "Since you're so _experienced_ , Draco, how many girls have you fooled around with?"

"I don't count," he said, simply. "Have you ever been felt up?"

Lily's eyes widened and beside her, Mary let out a nervous laugh. Lily looked round at her, and then back at Draco, who was still smirking stupidly.

"N-no, I haven't!" she said, outraged. "Have _you_ ever felt anyone up?"

Draco sat back. "Would I ask you that if I hadn't?"

Mary laughed again. Well, at least _she_ was enjoying herself. This wasn't exactly what Lily had hoped to achieve when she'd suggested they play Truth.

"Have you ever made out with someone? Ever even kissed a boy on the mouth?"

"Of course I have!" said Lily. "Do you think you could tone it down a little with the questions about _that_ area of my life?"

"I think you're gonna have to wait your turn, Evans," said Draco, suddenly, crossing his arms. "I believe I have another question."

"No you don't," said Lily. "You've already asked your two, it's my turn."

"Actually," said Mary, "Those two were technically related so they only count as one."

Lily glared at her, but Mary only shrugged and looked back down at her watch. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea bringing her down for games after all...

"Ever had a hot fantasy about one of your girlfriends, Lily?" said Draco.

Lily smiled at him. "You just wasted your extra question for a dumb and obvious one. No, I haven't. So Draco," she leaned back, also crossing her arms. "This girl you've _felt up_ wouldn't be Alice by any chance, would she?"

The smirk was back.

"Why, you jealous?"

"Just answer the question," said Lily, rolling her eyes.

Draco paused.

"No, your friend and I haven't done anything of the sort," he said. "Yet."

Lily nodded once, wondering how she could bring the subject away from these strange areas, to the areas she was most interested in.

"Fine then, so I suppose your previous relationships took place during your times at the orphanage?" she tried.

This time, Draco's smile faltered.

"I mean, we've all heard that you're from a muggle orphanage," Lily added. "Everyone knows."

"Do they?"

"Yes."

Draco paused.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that my previous relationships were with… _muggles_."

Lily smiled. "Your turn."

Draco considered her for a moment, and then suddenly sat up again, as though ready for a whole new match.

"Alright then," he said. "So you've never shagged a guy, but you've let him stick his tongue down your throat. _And_ you've never fantasized about any of your girlfriends. Does that mean you're a prude?"

"No, I'm not a prude," said Lily, boldly.

"Well then why have you never shagged?"

"Because I don't _want_ to!" cried Lily. "Jeez, there is so much more to life than just dating and shagging people all the time. My life is just beginning, there's plenty of time for everything...it doesn't all have to happen _now_ —"

"Oh so you plan on shagging later on?" said Draco. "Say, in a couple of years?"

"W-why _shagging_?" said Lily. "I-it's not _shagging_ , it's—"

"Oh I'm sorry," said Draco, mockingly. "Would you prefer I said ' _making love_ '?"

Lily scowled at him and felt herself going slightly red in the face.

"Oh wait, don't tell me," said Draco. "You're one of those who wants to wait until your wedding night, aren't you?"

"What?!"

"You're gonna date a couple of guys, maybe do a little snogging, nothing serious, but you'll tease the hell out of them until they agree to marry you, and then, _and only then_ , you'll give it up."

"I—that's private…"

"Or maybe you've already done that...teased, I mean...You obviously haven't given it up yet so I imagine you've teased quite a bit. Huh, I'm sure you have. Have you?"

"I haven't!"

"Uh," said Peter, "I-I think you guys have already reached your time."

"Well actually, Draco's asked too many questions for his turn," said Mary.

"They weren't questions, they were interrogations," said Lily, her eyes on Draco.

"Oh have a little sense of humour, Evans," said Draco. " _You_ were the one who chose the game, I'm just trying to pass the time here. If you didn't wanna be asked all these questions, you should've chosen a better game. I thought you were supposed to be like, smart or something...don't seem very smart to me."

He sat back in his cushioned chair, grinning at her. She glared at him from her seat.

"Go to hell," she muttered, and then she jumped from her seat and ran out of the common room altogether.

Out in the corridor, she scolded herself for having let him get to her...this despicable, insufferable, arrogant little _twit_ wasn't worth her time anyway. But she'd still let him get to her. And why? He was so full of himself, that she just couldn't believe that kind of boy had been raised by Albus Dumbledore himself. How on earth had that happened?

Not five minutes passed when Lily suddenly heard the portrait hole sliding open and watched a figure climb out of it. She had half-thought it would be Draco, finally willing to show her that he had actually in fact been raised by Albus Dumbledore and knew the meaning of the world 'apology'...but it was only Peter.

"Oh," said Lily. "Hi."

"Hey," he said, the portrait hole sliding closed behind him. "A-are you okay?"

Lily nodded and took a seat on the steps, her back to him. Peter sat next to her.

"I just can't understand why you would want to be friends with such a...this... _ugh!_ " she cried.

"He's not that bad," said Peter, instantly. Lily looked incredulously at him. "R-really," he added. "He's actually very kind."

"Strangely enough, I find that hard to believe," Lily muttered.

There was a pause.

"You w-weren't with us in that detention the whole day," Peter pointed out. "I was." Lily looked at him again. "And I can tell you that Draco really cares about me...and Remus...and Sirius."

"And Potter," Lily mumbled. "He's a lot like Potter, that one."

"They're just goofing off," said Peter. "Honestly, he's r-really not that bad."

"Arrogant," Lily began to say.

"But kind," Peter finished.

Lily sighed.

"Ever since Draco's started at Hogwarts," Peter began, his voice quite low, "S-Sirius has been talking to Regulus a lot more than he used to."

"Fighting is more like it," Lily reminded him.

"Well yeah," said Peter. "But also just talking...r-really! And then...Remus has had someone else in our group whom he can talk to and still be taken seriously...someone besides you," he added, when Lily was about to protest.

Lily smiled slyly. "Go on."

"W-well," said Peter, biting down on his lip. "James has also had someone he can confide in..."

"About what?" said Lily, doubting James had anything to confide in anyone about, other than Quidditch rubbish.

"Things," said Peter, blushing slightly. "A-and then there's me. He's the first person who's ever talked to me...and helped me...without making me feel like a child."

At this, Lily frowned. "I don't talk to you like I think you're a child, do I?"

"N-no, I didn't m-mean you," he said, quickly. "But just...well, we're not really f-friends. I meant just in my friend group..."

Lily thought for a minute.

"Well maybe we can change that, you and me," she said, smiling at him.

Peter smiled back. "I'd like that."

There was a pause.

"Anyway," he went on. "Y-you should just give Draco another chance. He's been really wonderful to us all...and then again, he _is_ new here. It's p-probably really hard to adjust after growing up in a muggle orphanage with no one to talk to but D-Dumbledore."

Lily sighed again. "I suppose you're right." She looked back at Peter. "You know, you're far too nice to be friends with boys like that. You _and_ Remus."

Peter smiled shyly.

"T-they're kind to us," he said. "A-and loyal. They defend us when needed. They care for us."

"Yeah but I just can't see it," Lily said.

"Can't see what?" said Peter.

"How _he_..." said Lily, pointing back at the portrait behind her, "...was raised by _Dumbledore_."

Peter chuckled lightly and then said, very quietly, "I can."

Lily looked round at him. He really did have more potential than he ever showed. Personally, Lily thought it was just the other boys who were keeping him in the shadows with their arrogant little pranks and their stupid ways. If he didn't hang out with people like that all the time, she was sure his confidence would build up a little. She was just about to say so, when he said,

"Let's go back inside and finish the game."

"No," Lily scoffed. "I've no interest in doing that."

"Please?" said Peter. "It'll be fun. Y-you'll go first this time. You can attack Draco back with a bunch of questions."

Lily considered this for a moment. It might be fun...and plus, she could find out whether he actually did know more about Remus' secret than he was letting on. Or at least, Remus thought so. But then again, Lily had known him around the full moon for quite a while now to guess that it was mostly just the paranoia talking.

But still, that didn't mean she couldn't try interrogating Draco for a change. And besides, Draco was so arrogant and so conceited, that he probably doubted she would have it in her to rejoin their little game.

"Alright," she said, standing up with Peter. "Let's go."

Lily gave the Fat Lady the password, and Peter followed her inside, while the Fat Lady shouted after them "Really, if you weren't planning on staying out for a couple of hours, then why bother me at all?!"

They re-entered the common room and found that it was slightly quieter now than before. Several of the seventh years, including Frank, must've gone to bed, as there were only a couple of students scattered here and there. Lily and Peter went to take their seats again, and found that Mary was now sitting next to Draco, who was looking at her with a strange expression on his face...was it curiosity? Sympathy?

"So how is it that you didn't know what Truth or Dare was?" she was asking him.

"Well the orphanage I was at was for boys only," he explained, his tone soft. Lily stopped to stare at him. Was that actually _Draco Black_ talking or just some stranger who had come to replace him? Where was the smirk or the conceited remarks?

"It wasn't exactly, you know, a favourite pastime of mine to dare boys to undress other boys..." he continued, smiling politely at Mary, "...despite the latest rumours about me here."

Mary giggled.

"No, I suppose not," she said. "I didn't believe those rumours, you know...they're all rubbish most of the time."

"Thank you," he said to her. "It means a lot to hear someone say that."

"Of course," she said, smiling at him again.

Lily coughed loudly to get their attention. They turned their heads to look up at her, and Draco's somewhat sympathetic expression instantly changed to that of another one of his arrogant little smirks.

"Already back, Evans?" he said.

"I challenge you to another round of Truth," Lily told him simply, her arms crossed.

"Fine then," he said. "Have a seat."

While Mary got up to give Peter his seat back, Lily leaned down and hissed at Draco, "You're not gonna go after her now too, are you? She's been through enough!"

Draco frowned.

"While I'm with your _other_ friend?" he whispered. "I wouldn't dream of it!"

" _Oh give it up already_ ," Lily hissed again, taking her seat.

"You might wanna give that advice to yourself for a change," Draco told her, more loudly.

"What?" said Mary.

"Nothing," said Draco and Lily together.

Mary looked back at her watch while holding up a finger for them to wait.

"Oh and if you ask me any questions about _my_ personal life, I won't object," Draco told Lily. "I have nothing to hide here."

 _Oh we'll see about that_ , she thought. But she also kept herself reserved and her facial expression as cool as currently possible. She knew that once she began her attack, he would attack her right back...with a subject she was not particularly keen on discussing.

"Okay go!" cried Mary.

"Who was the first person you made friends with in Gryffindor?" said Lily.

Draco looked puzzled for a few seconds.

"Uh, I suppose it was James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all at once," he said, slowly. "Who was the first friend _you_ made in Gryffindor?"

"Remus," said Lily, simply. "Were you the one who asked if you could sleep in their dormitory, or did they suggest it?"

Peter opened his mouth to say something, but Draco said, "They did."

Peter closed his mouth again. Lily paused for a second. Draco was staring at her as though he could hardly believe his eyes. What, had she been too innocent in his eyes up until now? Did he not think that she would possibly want to retaliate in their little game, after what he'd just put her through? Well, he'd certainly underestimated _her_.

"Okay," she continued, repressing a little grin, "And what was Sirius Black's reaction when he found out you're related to him?"

"He was shocked," said Draco, looking sideways at his friend, "As were all of the boys, am I right?"

Peter nodded, and Draco looked back at Lily.

"Have you always hated them?" he asked her. "James, Sirius, Remus and Peter I mean."

"I don't _hate_ them," she said at once. "Remus I like." She looked at Peter. "Yeah, and Peter too." Back to Draco. "But the _other two_ …well, _three_ now, are vile."

"Ah," said Draco. "What about Severus? Is _he_ vile too?"

There it was.

"He can be," said Lily, simply. "And speaking of Severus, how is it that you two are on speaking terms?"

"How d'you mean?" said Draco. "And that _wasn't_ a direct question," he added to Mary, who, to Lily's distaste, blushed instantly.

"I know Severus," Lily continued. "He would never just make friends with someone in Gryffindor for nothing."

"Well he was friends with _you_ ," Draco pointed out. "And last time I checked you were in Gryffindor."

"Severus and I were friends even before we came to Hogwarts," Lily said, dismissively. "And you still didn't answer my question."

Draco sighed.

"If you know him so well then you will know he's brilliant at Potions. Having been _raised_ by Dumbledore, I know a fair bit about Potions myself...as well as all the other subjects in this school." The grin was back now. "Anyway, he needed help once and I gave it to him and after that we just started talking."

"But Severus hates Gryffindor and everything to do with it," Lily pointed out. "What makes you so special? Why would he let _you_ in?"

Draco smiled.

"I suppose I have my way with people," he said after a moment's pause. "Then again, he knows the other Black, and he didn't end up in Gryffindor like me and Sirius. I guess he decided to just give me a chance and see if I was anything like Regulus."

"And would you say you've talked to Regulus a fair bit in the last month?" said Lily.

"I have," said Draco, slowly. "But why do you care?"

"Hey, I'm just following the rules of the game," said Lily, simply. "I mean, we can ask each other anything, right?"

"Yeah," said Draco, slowly. "Right. My turn then?"

Lily nodded.

"So you know Regulus by name at least...does that mean you've talked to the kid before?"

"Not once," said Lily. "I doubt he even knows my name."

"So then how do you know his?"

Lily stared at him. "You're kidding me right now, right?" Draco frowned. " _Everyone_ in the school knows who Regulus and Sirius are. It's no secret."

"Ah," said Draco. "Okay, next question. Are you gonna forgive Severus anytime soon?"

And there _that_ was. But luckily, before Lily had a time to react, Mary's watch beeped. Lily glanced at it once and then back at Draco.

"Oops," she said, smiling pleasantly at him. "Time's up."

Draco scowled at her.

"Okay, so Draco ended the match which means he gets to start the next one," said Mary, who was looking down at her watch again. Peter looked like he was about to say something again. But then...

"Since I won, I get to choose," said Draco, suddenly. He looked round at Lily again. "And I challenge Lily to another round of Truth."

Peter sighed.

"Okay," said Mary, slowly. "Well...ready?"

" _I_ am," said Draco, his eyes still on Lily. She frowned slightly at him, but added, "Yeah me too."

"Okay then," said Mary. Another pause. "Go."

"What's so bad about the word 'mudblood'?" Draco asked.

Both Lily and Mary gasped, but Peter only turned his head slowly to look at Draco, who was still looking at Lily.

"It's _offensive_ ," she said, boldly.

"No more offensive than the word 'vile', right?"

"Wrong."

Draco smirked.

"Fine then," he said. "But is it really that offensive that you can't forgive it? Even for your best friend?"

" _Used to be_ best friend, and I think you're gonna have to wait your turn, Black," Lily said, repeating his words from before.

He shrugged.

"How is it that as long as I have been at Hogwarts, I haven't seen any Gryffindors making friends with Slytherins, besides me and Severus...but then you come along and suddenly you're best pals with Potter's lot, and with Severus, _and_ with the other Black?"

"What can I say?" said Draco, leaning back again. "I'm just that good."

"Oh how charming," said Lily, sarcastically.

"Oh you're one to talk," said Draco. "So I'll ask again—are you ever going to forgive Severus?"

"I doubt it," Lily said, "Because as you've mentioned before, 'mudblood' _is_ an unforgivable word."

"I never said—"

"Time's running out so if you wanna ask your next question, do it," said Lily.

Draco glared at her.

"Fine then," he said, sitting up again. "So if Severus started dating some Slytherin girl now, you wouldn't care?"

"Not at all," Lily promised. "I don't care what he does with his life."

"That's a lie," said Draco.

"It is not," said Lily.

"I—"

"My turn," she interrupted. "If those rumours about you were rubbish, as I suspect they were, given how you act around Alice nowadays," she stopped to cringe, "Then why are you so interested in what Severus does? Why do you want to be his friend? Don't you have enough friends over here in Gryffindor?"

"I think you've surpassed your limit of questions," he pointed out.

"Just answer," Lily hissed.

Draco paused.

"Severus is a good person," he finally said, in a sort of declaration. "I would expect _you_ to know that...or have you completely forgotten about your friendship? Has your fight with him last year made you forget everything from before? Do those memories and those moments not count anymore?"

"I never said they—"

"You didn't have to," he interrupted. "Your face shows it."

And suddenly, Lily lost it.

"You wanna tell me what bothers you so much about me?" she shot at him.

Draco stared at her. "You mean other than your constant nagging about 'doing the right thing', 'being perfect', and preaching Gryffindor idiocy?"

"I wasn't—"

"You're annoying, that's all."

Lily glared at him. She didn't care anymore about being reserved or professional. Enough was enough. She'd tried—she honestly had—and there was just no way to win with him. If he was capable of being polite to Mary—acting like the sort of boy that would have actually been raised by Dumbledore—then he was capable of being polite to her too.

"If I'm so annoying, then why do you tease me constantly?" she said to him. "...insult me...make fun of me..."

"Because it's fun!" he exclaimed. "Jeez, do you not have a sense of humour _at all?"_

Lily closed her eyes for a few long seconds, taking deep breaths. When she opened them, she found Draco frowning at her.

It was now...or never.

"Why—do—you—hate—me—so—much?" she finally asked, knowing that this time, he couldn't run from the question even if he'd wanted to. According to her calculations, they had a good 50 seconds left of the game.

But Draco did not answer right away. He stared at her as though trying to decide what to say, each of his eyes moving between hers.

"You remind me of someone I hate," he finally responded, in a low voice.

Lily's mouth opened slightly, and she blinked.

"How is that my fault?"

Draco said nothing.

"So what, you're gonna hate me now because I remind you of someone you hate?" she shot at him.

Still, he said nothing.

"You can't punish me for whatever it is you and this person had going on," she suddenly said, disregarding the beeping of Mary's watch. "It's not fair to me—I didn't do anything to you."

"I—"

"Whatever you have against me has nothing to do with Severus, does it?"

Draco met her eyes finally.

"It doesn't!" she repeated. "So what then? Is it your new friends? Your pals? Do _they_ hate me, is that what this is all about?"

Her voice cracked at the last couple of words, but she ignored this and continued to glare at him.

"We don't hate you!" cried Peter.

"Well then what?!" Lily shouted at Draco.

"Will you calm the fuck down?" he hissed at her through gritted teeth, but she disregarded his use of language because she was too far in now to back down. She needed these answers, and she wasn't going to leave tonight without them.

"Maybe we should play another game," Mary suggested, quietly, but Lily was looking at Draco.

"I'm still waiting," she told him, a little more calmly this time.

"Fine," said Draco. "You want to know? I'll tell you." Lily waited. "This kid wasn't just an annoying, attention-seeking, arrogant little prick. Oh no, he was far more complicated than that. He was the very first person I'd ever formally offered a friendship, _and_ the first person to ever reject it...and for who? For some miserable, low-life, wannabe git? Yeah, whatever. I got over it pretty quickly. But did that stop them from waltzing around the bloody place with their stupid pride and their stupid dignity? No. Did that stop this kid from basically shadowing everyone for the rest of time? Nooooo, of course not! Why would it? Did it stop him from arrogantly seeking even more attention by pretty much trying to kill me? IT DID NOT. But did I retaliate? No, I didn't! Because I, unlike him, realise that there are far more important things to be concerned with, than school bullies. I just can't help it if I happen to hate his guts and wish he'd drowned in his own drool when he was a baby."

Lily blinked. "I get that this is all a lot that you've had to deal with...but what's it got to do with me?!"

"He's got the same eyes as you and the same bloody attitude, that's what," Draco muttered.

"And again, how is that my fault?" said Lily, her arms now crossed.

Draco glared at her.

"I can't change my eye colour just because I remind you of someone you hate," she told him, "Nor would I want to! I happen to like my eyes just the way they are, thank you very much. And I will not tolerate any more verbal abuse from you just because you have issues from your past!"

"You don't know _anything_ about my past," he growled at her. "No one does. And no one will."

"Fine!" said Lily. "That's your decision! But keep _me_ out of it. Keep me out of whatever grudge you're holding onto, or get over it altogether!" She stopped to take a breath. "Otherwise, you won't get along with anyone here...your _friends_ will not even tolerate you anymore. I've known them far longer than you have, and while I may not like them, I respect the loyalty that they have towards each other. And I happen to know that if you show this side of yourself to them, they won't understand you."

"Is that right?" said Draco.

"It is," said Lily, her eyes flickering over Peter for a split second before darting back to Draco. "Change your ways or you will lose them."

"And just who are you to tell me what to do?" said Draco, suddenly rising to his feet. "And just who are _you_ to command _me?_ And just who are _you_ to judge _my_ friends—the people who you have specifically and clearly claimed, _multiple times_ , to 'despise'?"

"I—"

"You have no bloody business telling me what my friends will or will not tolerate," Draco hissed at her. "You have no fucking right telling me that these boys, who have granted me a place in their dormitory, who have let me into their lives and have told me things about them that they haven't told others...that these boys will just send me packing!"

"I didn't—"

"And you know what, Wormtail?" said Draco, suddenly turning to look at Peter, who was quite startled. "I know. Okay? I know you all are hiding something." He turned back to Lily. "And right now, I'm gonna put an end to it. Tonight." He paused. "Just watch and see if they'll send me packing after I find them out."

Lily gasped, but before she could say or do anything at all, Draco marched right out of the common room, leaving Lily, Mary and Peter to stare after him. Lily chewed nervously on her lip and blinked at the portrait hole. What on earth had she just done?

* * *

"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand what you're talking about," Lily said as she and Mary stood in the boys' dormitory, watching Peter search frantically under the pillows and below the four poster beds.

"The map, the map!" he kept repeating. "W-we've been working on it since fourth year. W-well actually, we've been exploring the castle longer than that, b-but we only ever started recording things two years ago."

"What kinds of things?" Lily asked, slowly.

"Different stuff!" said Peter, frantically. "H-h-hidden p-p-passageways a-and t-tunnels a-and—"

"Okay, Peter?" said Lily, moving to stand next to him and placing both her hands on his shoulders to stop him. "Breathe."

He took three deep breaths and she nodded her approval.

"You mean inside the castle?" she asked after a moment's silence.

Peter nodded.

Lily let go of him, and he continued his search, this time a little less panicked. He pulled out a trunk from under one of the beds and began throwing things out of it. Lily guessed this to be Potter's trunk because there were Quidditch stickers plastered all over the top of it.

"You mean inside the castle?"

Peter only nodded. He then pulled out a trunk from under one of the beds and began throwing things out of it.

"So this map shows all of Hogwarts..." Lily concluded.

" _And_ everyone _in_ Hogwarts too," said Peter, "Where they are, e-every minute of every day."

"Is that legal?" Mary hissed.

"Of course it's not!" Lily cried. "Peter, what were you thinking? Why didn't you ever tell someone? Professor McGonagall or...or anyone?!"

"B-because it's ours and we created it and—"

" _We_?" said Lily. "What do you mean 'we'? You mean...Remus too?"

"Yeah, he helped make it."

Lily sat herself down on one of the beds, trying hard not to think about how many more things Remus wasn't telling her.

"But how did you boys get the map to...to do all of this?" said Mary.

"The Homonculous Charm, no doubt," Lily answered before Peter could. He'd given up on the trunk now and was ransacking another one in the far corner of the dormitory. This one had a silver crest on the side, marking the letter B. Mary gave Lily a questioning look, but Lily waved it off. _Obviously_ Lily had read about this charm...she'd spent her first couple of months at Hogwarts doing nothing _but_ reading.

"I-it's not here!" Peter finally concluded.

"Does Draco know about the map?" Lily asked him, calmly.

"Yeah, of course! We all do!"

Lily sighed. "Then that's where it is now...with him." She glanced sideways at Mary, before turning back to Peter. "That's how he's gonna find them."

Together, she, Mary and Peter left Gryffindor Tower and hurried over to the Entrance Hall as fast as they could. The entire way there, Lily scolded Peter for never telling anyone about the map or for never trying to stop the boys himself, while Mary walked behind them, occasionally advising that they return to the common room before someone sees them.

"I'm not going anywhere until we bring Draco back," Lily told her, firmly, as they reached the stone steps. "I promised Remus I would keep an eye on Draco tonight and now he's proving that to be a little difficult."

"But why did Remus need you to keep an eye on him?" Mary asked again.

Lily paused. "H-he's just worried Draco will get into some kind of trouble, which by the looks of it, seems very likely."

Peter turned left and they followed him. He stopped at the entrance to the Great Hall, gasped, and turned to look at the two of them.

"What is it?" Lily said at once.

"I-I know where he is," he said.

"Well where is he?!" cried Lily.

Mary shushed her.

Peter's eyes flickered from one to the other before landing on Lily again.

"Hagrid's Hut."

"Huh?"

"T-they're all at Hagrid's Hut."

"Who's 'they'?" said Mary, her eyes narrowed.

"D-Draco and James and S-Sirius," said Peter, his eyes still on Lily, who was trying to understand what the hell he was rambling on about.

"Wait, what?" said Mary. "That makes... _no_ sense."

"Well they're boys," said Lily, slowly. "They never make sense." She turned to Mary. "Look, you wanna come help us look or would you rather—?"

"I'll stay here," Mary said at once, and quite predictably so. Lily smiled. "I'll wait here and stand guard."

"Okay," said Lily, turning to the oak front doors, which were opened just a crack (no doubt Draco's doing). "Just keep watch and send word if anyone starts looking for us, alright?"

"I don't know how to do that," said Mary. "I'll just distract teachers. Hey, don't—be—long."

"We'll try," Lily promised, ushering Peter to follow her.

He waved gingerly at Mary, who took a seat on the stone steps, and followed Lily through the front doors and out into the chilly night.

"Hagrid's Hut?" Lily repeated to him in a hushed voice once they were alone. "You couldn't do any better than that?"

"S-sorry," he mumbled. "I'm not good at this l-lying thing."

Lily sighed. "Well you shouldn't be. It's not something anybody should be proud to be good at." She paused. "So where are they?"

"Forbidden Forest."

"WHAT?!"

They started down the sloping lawns to where Hagrid's Hut stood in the distance, the wind howling slightly and raising goosebumps on their arms. Lily tried hard not to think about the load of trouble that they would get into if they were discovered out here at night by a teacher.

"It's w-where we usually go e-every month," Peter explained as they walked.

"But I thought you guys go to the Shrieking Shack," said Lily, slowly. "That's what Remus told me."

"W-we used to," said Peter. "B-but not for a while now."

"How come?"

He shrugged. Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is there something I'm supposed to know?" she asked once they reached Hagrid's miniature pumpkin patch and turned in the direction of the dark forest.

"N-no!" said Peter, quickly. "W-w-why would you t-think that?"

"Because it's clearly the truth," she said. He looked away from her. "Peter." No answer. "Peter, look at me!" He turned slightly in her direction, a frightened look on his face.

"What don't I know?" she demanded.

Somewhere not far from them, a twig snapped. They both turned frantically, Lily's wand flying out and pointing randomly at some spot. When nothing happened, Peter said, "Come on," and together, they started for the forest.

Lily had only ever been in the forest twice before...once for a Care of Magical Creatures lesson back in third year, during which Professor Grubbly-Plank showed the class a herd of unicorns. The other time, it had been during one of her visits to Hagrid's Hut. He had decided to grant her wish to meet the centaurs, and had taken her into the depths of the forest to introduce her to them. They had been most gracious and kind, and Lily had felt it was an honour to meet them. But tonight was different than either of those experiences.

The forest was still, and yet very alive. Everywhere she looked, she was sure someone was watching them from up in the trees...someone...or some _thing_. The cool night air was growing cooler the deeper they went into the forest, up to the point when Lily felt herself shivering slightly.

"How much further, do you know?" she asked Peter as they turned again.

"N-not far," he promised. "We're usually near the c-centaurs' land."

Lily sighed. Well, if they got into any trouble at all, at least the centaurs would help them. They seemed to really like Lily when she'd met them. Although, that was two whole years ago, and she hadn't been back since, so she doubted they would even remember her.

"I hope we find him before he finds your friends," Lily sighed as they went further and further into the depths of the forest. "I just don't want to think about how Remus would feel if he was found out...especially in a state like this."

"Wait," said Peter, stopping her.

She followed his gaze and let out a small gasp.

"Is that...?" she said, squinting through the darkness at the little spark of light that was illuminating from between the two crooked trees in the far left.

A figure was standing in the distance, holding up a lit wand to what looked like a large bit of parchment.

"It is!" cried Peter, beside her.

Her hand almost automatically flew to cover his mouth, but it was too late. Draco had noticed them. His own wand now turned to point in their direction, but Lily was quick to act, and shot the first spell she could think of.

" _Petrificus totalus!_ "

Draco instantly turned pale white in the dark forest, and fell backwards with a loud thud, like a rock. Lily and Peter hurried over to him. Lily quickly took his wand in her hand, while Peter reached for his other hand to retrieve what looked to be the map.

"W-what did you do to him?" he asked her, worriedly, as they both looked down at Draco.

"It's just a freezing charm," she assured him. "He can still hear everything we're saying—he just can't respond."

She knelt down to touch his forehead, which was ice cold, and leaned forward to examine the whites of his eyes shimmering slightly.

"See?" she told Peter behind her. "He can still see and hear and breathe and think."

When Peter didn't answer, Lily quickly jumped to her feet and wheeled around. Peter's shadow was now hurrying through the forest and quickly out of sight.

"What the...?" Lily muttered, staring after him. "Hey, come back! Peter!"

A slight breeze began to rustle the leaves from the trees all around, and a howling sounded somewhere in the distance, followed by a few crickets. Feeling a little nervous, Lily turned back to look down at Draco, who was lying still in a bed of wet leaves. Lily turned around frantically, hoping that Peter would come back—she really hadn't expected him to leave her like this in the Forbidden Forest of all places. When he didn't reappear, she moved to sit next to Draco's frozen form, and wrapped her arms around her knees, letting both hers and Draco's wands drop to the ground beside her. Her wand was still lit, so the darkness was not totally impenetrable. But still, Lily found herself feeling a little overwhelmed now. She began to rock herself back and forth to keep warm, her eyes all the while on Draco, who was staring up at the trees.

"I know you want answers," she began to say, her voice barely more than a whisper, in case any angry creature lurking nearby heard them and decided to investigate. Draco continued to stare up, but Lily knew he could hear her, so she went on. "I'm sure you've gotten to know the boys a lot over the past month and you think you deserve answers. Perhaps you do…I don't know enough about your relationship with them to make that call. I suppose it is only natural for you to want answers, given how everyone's been interrogating you the past few weeks...but this is not the way to get them. Surely you must know that. You can't...you _can't_ force people to tell you what they may not yet be ready to reveal." She paused, shivering slightly from the chilly wind, and continued. "I knew that you knew...on some level, I was sure you knew something. You might not know everything, but you still know that there _is_ something to know. I suppose the boys are not all that good at hiding it, so I can't really blame you for snooping where you shouldn't have. But Remus is my friend—one of my best friends. And if he doesn't want you to know yet, then you have to respect that. You have to let him take his time before he tells you. He's your friend, isn't he? You said so yourself. You respect him, don't you? Well then you should respect his wishes. You should do this for him, as his friend. Just...just don't pressure him into it! Let _him_ come to _you_...when he's ready. And I know him—he'll come to you...when the time is right."

Lily stopped to survey Draco's frozen face again. She bit her lip and wondered whether he'd calmed down enough to actually listen to her.

"I'm going to lift the charm now," she told him, cautiously, her fingers reaching into the leaves beside her and picking up her illuminated wand. "But you have to behave yourself. You have to promise not to get all angry again and storm off to lord knows where in the middle of the night." She paused, then slowly got to her feet. "And you'd better not leave me here alone in the forest." She pointed her wand at him. "Don't make me regret this, Black." And with a deep breath, she whispered " _Finite_ ," lifting the charm as well as extinguishing the light at once.

Draco let out a small gasp, and then slowly sat up and brushed leaves off of himself. He picked up his wand and rotated it in his hands for a few long seconds. He then looked up at Lily, and she tried to read his expression in the darkness. They were quiet for a long time—Lily almost expected Draco to jump up and start running again. But he didn't jump. Instead, he sighed and looked down at the bed of leaves around him.

"Alright," he finally said.

Lily sighed of relief. Wow...she'd _actually_ managed to get through to him. She couldn't believe it. _And_ he wasn't even angry about her hexing him! He wasn't even trying to retaliate!

"Thank you," she said.

She hesitated, then took her seat again. Draco did not object, but continued to stare down at the ground.

"How..." said Lily, willing him to look at her, "How did you not see us approaching when you were looking at the map?"

Draco shrugged. "I reckon the map still needs a bit of work."

"How do you figure?"

"Well its indications of movement are a little late sometimes," he said. "When I turned around and saw you guys, the map showed you only entering from near Hagrid's Hut..."

"Does it always do that?"

"No, sometimes it's accurate. It comes and it goes. I think it's just because it's still relatively new...or the charm is wearing off or it needs to be doubled up or something."

Lily sighed. She wasn't exactly a big fan of this map, and she didn't think it was wise for the boys to possess such an object. If McGonagall only knew...

"You, uh, you're not scared or anything, are you?" Draco suddenly said.

"Me?" said Lily, quickly. "No, of course not!"

"Good," he said. "Yeah, me neither."

Lily frowned. She'd actually half-expected some sarcastic remark, followed by that stupid smirk of his. But it never came. She stared at him. Why was it that when there was no one else around, he acted totally different? It was like he completely shed his mask when he was alone with her…with _this_ version, she could believe that he had been raised by Dumbledore, because this was exactly the type of person that Dumbledore would've raised…a kind, considerate, well-mannered individual. Lily almost felt bad for him for being used by Alice like so. Although, as she watched him now, she started to realise that perhaps he was using Alice just the same...after all, he didn't seem to be all that excited around her. Lily didn't know much about relationships, but she at least knew that it's not a good sign if you're not excited to be around the other person all the time. And back in the common room, Draco looked slightly annoyed by Alice's presence...and even relieved that she'd chosen not to join their game.

"So," he said, slowly. "What's so special about this Hogsmeade owlery that Alice was talking about earlier?"

Lily blushed slightly. "It's a popular hangout spot for Hogwarts couples."

Draco raised his eyebrows at her. "Is that right?"

Lily nodded, sure that he understood perfectly well and that she didn't need to explain any more. Suddenly, a twig snapped from behind her, and at once, they both jumped to their feet and pointed their wands at the darkness. They waited, listening for more sounds, frantically looking around the dark woods for any signs of life. And then, another twig snapped and leaves began to rustle even more.

"Someone's coming," Draco whispered.

"Peter?" Lily called out, her voice shaking slightly.

"Shut up!" Draco hissed in her ear, but she ignored him and kept her eyes fixed on the shadow moving towards them through the woods. Her fingers tightened around her wand, and the stunning spell was just at the tip of her tongue when suddenly, a split second later, she lowered her wand again.

"P-Potter?" she said, squinting in the darkness as he made his way over to where they stood.

Potter stopped at the sight of her and she watched him slowly slip his own wand back into his pocket, from which that old bit of parchment was now sticking out. Peter had managed to find him in the woods.

"Evans?" he said. "What...uh, what are you doing here?"

"James," said Draco, softly, his own wand lowered. "We—"

"We were just out for a walk!" Lily said quickly, wondering exactly how much Peter had told him.

Potter took a few more steps towards them so that he could see them clearer.

"A walk in the woods," he repeated, "In the dead of night."

"Everyone has their preferences," Lily said, smiling slightly at him. "Have you, uh, seen Peter by any chance?"

"Yeah, he came and got me," said Potter, slowly. He turned to Draco. "McGonagall sent us to serve detention in here with Hagrid."

Lily frowned. How was it that lying came quite so easily to Potter? This really was a dangerous thing...definitely not something to be proud of.

"Is that right?" said Draco, whose hands slipped into his pockets again. Lily noticed he tended to do that a lot, but for now, she only watched him closely, hoping he would keep his promise to her and not go confronting Potter now about this secret he was sure the boys were keeping from him.

"Yeah, he needed help finding some unicorn," Potter mumbled. "Is, uh, everything alright?"

Draco looked over Potter's shoulder at Lily, and for a second there, she thought he would actually say what he came there to say. But then...

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"Should we go back to the castle now then?" Lily spoke up.

"Where's Sirius?" said Draco, ignoring her suggestion.

"He's probably already out of the forest with Hagrid and Peter," said Potter. "I thought you might, you know, be lost in here...given that you're new and all."

"I was new a month ago," said Draco.

"Didn't..." said Lily, turning Potter's attention back to her. "Didn't Peter tell you I was here too?"

"No, he was pretty frantic when he found us," said Potter. "Thought you might get attacked by some animal, you know?" He looked up at the trees around them in the suddenly still forest. "You never know just what lives here."

"Let's get out of here," said Draco at once, and the three of them started back down the path where they came from.

"You don't look very surprised to see me here," Potter told Draco after a few silent minutes of walking.

Lily looked frantically at him, hoping— _willing_ —him not to say what she knew he really wanted to say.

"I am," he said, instead. Lily sighed. "I'm just...you know, trying not to think about all the stuff that could jump out at us any minute."

"Yeah," laughed Potter. "Not one of my favourite detentions, I'll say."

Lily kept silent. Every now and then, she caught Draco looking at her from Potter's other side. It was as though he was trying to communicate to her that he'd keep his word about letting the boys tell him the secret, rather than him pouring it out of them. And Lily found it very easy to believe him.

But in addition, she also found herself wondering exactly how he would react once he found out the secret. He was, by far, the least bit predictable person she'd ever met. She never knew quite what to expect from her conversations with him—which image of himself he would present this time. She only hoped that whatever reaction he chose for Remus' big reveal, that it wouldn't be insensitive...that he would understand what a big deal this was for Remus.

When Lily herself had found out, back in third year during January's full moon, she had been most shocked to see Remus actually crying. To this day, he was the only boy she'd ever seen cry, and she thought there was something certainly special about that. She knew in her heart that if Draco even dared say anything prejudiced about what Remus was, or if his reaction was heinous, that she, Lily, would probably kill him herself.

As she and Draco and Potter made their way out of the forest and reached Hagrid's Hut, Potter slowed to a stop and turned to face the other two. For a long minute, the three just stared at each other, saying nothing. Lily found something very strange about the way Potter was looking first from her then to Draco and then back at her. And Draco seemed to have his mask back on and was trying to be very subtle about everything—very cool and very relaxed, as usual. But even now, his own eyes were turning from Lily to James and then back to Lily. It was almost as though some kind of silent treaty was being formed between the three of them as they stood there under the moonlit sky in the cool night air.

And then, as though the pause in their journey back hadn't even occurred, they turned and started back up the path towards the castle again, hoping to forget this night altogether, for the rest of time.

But even as they reached the oak front doors and met Mary (who had been mid-pace), Lily knew in her heart that something about tonight—she couldn't quite pinpoint what—had changed the course of the future.

Inevitably.

* * *

 **"Special" chapters will be released every special occasion...holidays mainly...so if you can figure out when the next one will be released, kudos to you. Also, there won't be two special chapters per month, so you can forget about Halloween :P**

 **And finally, if there is a specific character's point of view that you're interested in seeing, do send us your requests and we'll keep them in mind! But in the end, we'll decide because we have worked this story out down to the very last detail... _believe us_. So for all those readers out there who are worried about the marauders not noticing 'Draco Malfoy' appearing on the map instead of 'Draco Black', all we can say is... just keep reading. It's all yet to come. **

**Also, don't forget to review! Love you all!**


	14. Different

**A/N : Mes** **sage from _Hplover4ever3_ : So sorry for the long wait! My computer broke for a while there, but we're now back in business! This chapter is not a special, because we're only having a maximum of one holiday special per month, and since we already released one this month, we're gonna ignore the fact that this weekend was Halloween. Hope you like the chapter... **

**And the update for the next one will be ready a lot sooner than this one was.**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 14: DIFFERENT

Draco and the others woke early next day as someone pulled back the curtains and let the blinding light into the room. Groaning and squinting, they sat up in their beds and looked around. Remus was leaning against the window ledge with his arms crossed and a bright smile on his face.

"Rise and shine!" he exclaimed.

"You're back," said Draco.

"Yep," said Remus. "Just got in this morning."

"What time is it?" Sirius groaned as he reached for his alarm clock.

"How...how are you feeling?" Draco asked Remus, keeping his voice cautiously levelled and his tone casual.

He couldn't see any scratches or visible marks on his friend's face. In fact, he looked loads better than he'd had last week.

"Fine," said Remus, simply. "Honestly, my mum had it worse than I did, but we're both better now."

 _Honestly?_ Was that supposed to be some kind of a joke?

"Awe Moony, it's 6:30!" cried Sirius, who now slumped back on his bed and hid behind his pillow.

Peter laughed and also slumped back on his bed, but Draco now felt wide awake. He stood up and stretched.

"Anyone fancy going out for a run or something?" said Remus.

Draco frowned at him. "Shouldn't you...I mean, isn't there some time you're supposed to wait before you...before you do that?"

"Why?" said Remus. "It's only the flu."

"Tell you what," said Sirius. "I'll run with you two hours from now, deal?"

"Nope," said Remus. "Two hours from now we'll be in Defense. It's Thursday, remember?"

"Blimey," said Sirius, sitting up. "Happy first of October, everyone!"

Draco started. It was actually October the first. He was officially one month into this chaotic timeline.

"So," said James, speaking for the first time since the boys had woken. "Tell us what you did last night."

It took Draco a second to realize that James was talking to him. All the boys were now watching him, and Draco even glanced in Peter's direction for some help. But the boy only sat there, waiting.

"Uh," said Draco, looking back at James, desperately waiting for Peter to catch on. "Just hung around, you know..."

"Doing what?" said James, simply.

"We played games," Peter finally helped.

 _THANK YOU_ , Draco wanted to shout at him.

"With Evans and Mcdonald," said James, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," said Draco, who now reached into his trunk and began to pull out his Hogwarts robes.

"What kind of games?" said James.

Draco thought back to last night carefully...which bit was the juiciest? The way he and Lily had terrorised each other with personal questions or his angry outburst or their talk in the Forbidden Forest?

"Monopoly," said Draco, simply.

"Oh I love that game!" said Remus.

"Dunno it," shrugged Sirius.

But Draco was more bothered by the strange look that he was now getting from James. There was something not right there.

"You played Monopoly the _entire_ night?" he said.

Draco narrowed his eyes at him. He knew perfectly well that they'd gone into the Forbidden Forest because he was the one who'd met them there. And Draco had no doubt in that James had already told the others this. What on earth was he playing at? Was he trying to catch Draco in a lie? Or perhaps it was the other way around?

"We also played Truth," said Peter.

At this, Sirius whistled. "Let it be known that no game of Truth will ever not end in a scandal of some sort."

"I'll say," said James, his eyes still on Draco.

The two of them seemed to be having a silent conversation that the others were immune to.

"How was detention?" Draco found himself asking, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Very refreshing," said Sirius.

"Is that right?" said Draco. "You guys didn't miss too much of it?"

He couldn't help himself. It bothered him a great deal how they were all just lying to each other...all of them.

"Uh no," said Sirius, who glanced briefly in James' direction. "No, actually we got to serve it with Hagrid and he's really cool so it didn't even feel like a detention at all."

"I'm sure," said Draco.

Remus cleared his throat. "Come on guys, let's go for that run."

So the boys reluctantly dressed and left the common room together. They jogged along the lake's shore until they'd made a full two circles, and by that time, breakfast was already being served. After their showers, they met up in the Great Hall where more than half the Gryffindors were already sitting. Draco automatically looked over at the Slytherin table when he first arrived.

But Severus and the others weren't there yet. Or maybe they'd already ate and left.

"Hey guess what today is?" Remus told Draco.

Draco groaned silently. He really hated guessing games.

"It's October the first!" said Peter.

James chuckled.

"Yeah, I think we've already established that, Pete," said Sirius.

Remus rolled his eyes at them and turned back to Draco.

"Slughorn's first dinner party is tonight!"

Draco's eyes went round. "I-is that right...?"

Sirius howled with laughter.

"Give him my best!" he cried.

Draco smiled weakly. He'd completely forgotten about that.

"What, having second thoughts now, are we?" said James. "Don't feel like attending the party after all?"

"No..." Draco grumbled. "I'm fine."

The owl post began to arrive and a tardy brown owl dropped a rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet into Remus' lap. He instantly opened it up and hid behind it. Draco kept his head bent low and avoided James' eyes altogether. Somehow, he wasn't feeling too pleased with the oldest Potter this morning.

"Oy," said Sirius, poking at Draco's elbow to get his attention. "You hung out with Mcdonald last night, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did she, uh...I mean, how was she?"

Draco looked up from his cereal bowl.

"Why are you asking?"

"She went through a huge transformation this summer, that one...just wondering how she is..." said Sirius.

Draco shrugged. "She seemed okay."

"Good, good," said Sirius.

He began talking to Peter about something, but Draco still watched him, and now found himself remembering the big detention from a few weeks' back, and how bitter and hostile Sirius had seemed towards Mulciber. Was there something he wasn't telling Draco?

Well, who was he kidding...the boys still clearly didn't trust him enough to tell him their secrets...why would they though? It's not like he was going to suddenly open up one day, and "guess what, mates? I'm from the future and your kids end up being my enemies!"

"Oh fuck..." James muttered.

Draco looked up and found James and Remus huddled together, reading an article in the paper.

"What happened?" said Peter.

James snatched the paper from Remus.

 _"Another Raid At The Ministry, What'll We Do?"_ he read aloud _. "Late last night, the minister made a statement upon leaving the ministry office. At around 8 o'clock on Wednesday evening, there was a massive Death Eater raid in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. At least a dozen ministry workers were injured and are now being cared for at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Unfortunately, the minister said, no Death Eaters have yet been captured. The families of the injured workers are asking for privacy at this time, but the minister will be releasing another statement Friday with more details."_

James looked up from the paper, pale-faced.

"That's awful," said Peter.

But James was looking at Sirius with a strange expression. So was Remus, now that Draco looked at him.

"What?" he said, impatiently.

"Alice's parents work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," said Remus, quietly.

"Oh," said Draco.

"Has anyone seen her today?" said James, looking up and down the table.

The boys all shook their heads. But then, Lily turned around in her seat to face them.

"Alice's parents weren't one of the ones who got attacked," she told the group at large. "I saw her this morning. She was worried but then she received word that they had left work early last night."

The boys all looked round at Draco.

"Oh, that's good," he mumbled.

"Yeah, it is," said Lily, nodding. She turned her head slightly in Remus' direction. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he said. "I'm really well."

"How's your mum?" said Lily.

Remus gave her a confused look."S-she's okay too."

But something was very off about the look Lily gave him now...almost like she was mad at him for something. Remus looked startled at this, but Lily only turned back around in her seat and resumed her conversation with her girlfriends. Draco sighed. It was going to be a very long day.

After breakfast, the boys made their way over to Claybrook's classroom together, whose lesson Draco was seriously starting to dread. He grudgingly took his seat near the front, just next to James, who also looked quite unhappy to be there. The rest of the class took their time filing in. When Sev arrived, he nodded once at Draco.

"Alright, settle down everybody," said Claybrook.

He waved his wand lazily to shut the door closed and bought down all the shutters on the windows so that they were plunged into total darkness. Another flick of his wand, and the projector at the front of the classroom turned on, revealing an image of a gaunt-looking skeleton that closely resembled a hideous zombie.

"Today, we will be starting a new unit called Necromancy," Claybrook announced as the class flipped their notebooks and began dating their pages. "Our first lesson will be on inferi."

Draco smiled.

After Defense against the Dark Arts, Draco and James said bye to the others and headed for their Muggle Studies lesson. The entire way there, they walked in silence, while Draco said every curse word known to mankind in his head. Today was just going to be one of those days where the person you'd rather see the least of would be at your side every second. At least James wasn't a member of the Slug Club and Draco was guaranteed a break from him tonight.

When they reached Livesey's classroom, Draco followed James to their seats at the very back. They took out their books and turned to fresh pages, neither of them talking to the other. Draco looked up everytime someone entered the classroom. When Severus entered, he was mid-conversation with Mulciber and so he didn't even so much as look in Draco's direction. But when Lily entered, all hell broke loose.

Draco and Lily locked eyes, and in the matter of seven seconds or so, they were able to have an entire silent conversation during which Lily reminded him of his promise to let Remus and the others tell him about Remus' secret in their own way. And Draco lied to Lily now by claiming that that was what he was really doing...letting _them_ come to _him_. But even he, Draco, had a limit.

Soon, the silent conversation ended as Lily turned her back on him and took her seat at the front. But unfortunately for Draco, both James and Severus were now staring at him. This was not good at all.

By lunchtime, Draco wished that he had stayed in bed and feigned an illness. He couldn't ever remember having a worse day. And because of all the stress that he was under, he found himself forgetting simple facts in class that he'd studied ages ago. Dumbledore would not be pleased.

As if things couldn't get any worse though, about halfway through lunch, Draco felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked round to find Alice standing before him.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," said Draco. "Are you gonna sit down?"

"No, I'm feeling a little rundown, I was just gonna run on upstairs for a quick nap before class."

"Ah," said Draco, ignoring Sirius' smirks. Alice glanced at all the boys, hesitated, and then lowered her voice.

"Can we...can we talk later?"

"Uh, yeah sure," said Draco, slowly. "Is...everything alright?"

"Yeah," said Alice. "We just need to talk. I'll see you later then?"

Draco nodded.

Alice glanced again at the boys, all of whom were silently eating, and then left.

"Get a grip, Sirius," said Draco once his friend burst into laughter.

Ignoring Sirius, Remus leaned forwards. "Do you know what she wants to talk to you about?"

"Not a clue," said Draco, honestly. Whatever it was, he doubted he'd care much.

"You need a serious reality check then," said Sirius. Draco frowned at him. "Oh _come on!_ Look, she said she needed to talk to you, right? And then she said she's going _upstairs_ for a quick _nap_...talk to you? _Nap?_..." When the boys said nothing, Sirius exclaimed "The girl wants to shag you, mate!"

His outburst caused several second year girls at the table to gasp. James only smirked.

"Rubbish," said Draco.

"Honestly Sirius, if she only found out this morning how close her parents were to getting attacked last night, I doubt she has shagging on her mind right now," said Remus.

"Yeah, you probably have her confused with another one of the nameless, faceless girls who adore you," said James.

Sirius laughed. "Look Draco, you're missing a golden opportunity here, sitting and talking to us blokes. You go upstairs and you shag her senseless." He paused. "Or I might just go do it for you."

"Okay, it's time to go put some ice on it," said James, and he actually stood up and began to pull Sirius to his feet, but Sirius only punched him away. And just like that, quite easily, the usual mischievous atmosphere of the Marauders was back in business.

Transfiguration was a rather dull class that day, so Draco was fairly happy to arrive in Charms (mostly because he and Remus were partnered to practice cheering charms). With James and Sirius way on the other end of the classroom, Draco knew that the coast was clear.

"I'm really glad you're back and that you're not sick anymore," he told Remus, who was jotting some notes down from the board.

He looked up at him. "Thanks, Draco."

Remus continued to take down notes, but occasionally, Draco spotted him watching Lily who was practicing with Mary.

"Yeah I caught that this morning," said Draco, in an attempt to get Remus to talk _to_ him for once, instead of _about_ him later with his buddies.

"Huh?" said Remus, looking away from Lily.

"She seemed pretty pissed at you," Draco explained. "Any idea why that might be?"

"Nope," Remus shrugged. "Do you know why Alice really wants to talk?"

"Nope," said Draco.

There was silence.

"So Sirius told me that you guys all know how to produce the Patronus Charm," Draco blurted out.

Remus looked up at him. "When did he tell you that?"

"Just a few days ago," Draco mumbled. He really hadn't expected to tell Remus this, but he figured if he shared a little, maybe Remus would too.

"I see..." said Remus, looking over his shoulder at where Sirius was now howling with laughter.

"What does yours shape into?" Draco asked.

Remus looked back at him, and for a split second, Draco thought he might have a panic attack. But then...

"It's personal," he said, slowly, before looking back down at his notebook.

Draco watched him carefully. Seriously, what was it about him that made the boys think he was _so_ untrustworthy? Was he giving off some kind of a vibe he was unaware of?!

"You know, I also can produce the patronus," he said.

Remus looked up at him, surprised. "Can you really?"

"Yeah, I learned it just recently...from Dumbledore."

"Good for you," said Remus. And he looked genuinely proud too. "What's yours shape into?"

"It's personal," said Draco.

Remus smirked. "Touché."

Draco smiled too, but then hesitated again. Had it been a good idea to tell Remus about the Patronus Charm? But to Draco's delight, Remus dropped the subject altogether. He finished taking his notes and then pulled out his wand.

"Okay, you ready?" he said.

Perhaps it'd be better if Remus told the marauders himself, so that Draco didn't have to keep repeating this conversation. Maybe if they heard it from Remus, they wouldn't question what Draco's shape was.

"Yep," he said, pulling his own wand out. "Let's do it."

At the end of the lesson, James and Sirius hurried out of the classroom before everyone else, no doubt to get up to some mischief. So Draco followed Remus and Peter out and together, they made their way to the Great Hall for a study session before dinner.

But when they reached the Entrance Hall, Remus and Peter turned to the front doors.

"Where you guys going?" said Draco.

"Oh to Hagrid's for tea," said Remus. "Didn't we tell you?"

Draco shook his head.

"Hey why don't you come with us?" said Remus. "I don't think you've had a chance to meet him yet..."

"Yeah, he's awesome!" said Peter.

"Uh," said Draco, who had absolutely no intention of doing that. He was momentarily distracted by a familiar face making its way out of the Great Hall and up the grand staircase. "No it's okay...I'll go to the library or something."

"Are you sure you don't wanna come?" said Remus.

Draco turned round to look at him. "I..." he glanced at Peter, who looked hopeful. "Next time, guys."

"Okay," said Remus. "But we'll definitely see you at dinner?"

"Yeah for sure," said Draco. "I don't know where Slughorn's dinner party is anyway."

Remus smirked. "Bye then."

Draco waited until they'd both left before he followed up the staircase. He kept his eyes out for blonde hair and ended up in the library, which was stocked with mostly seventh year students. Draco looked around from bookcase to bookcase, until he heard two familiar voices and froze instantly.

"...I mean, what, now I have to compete against him _and_ Remus?" said James' voice.

"Come on," laughed Sirius. "You're being ridiculous here."

"Today it's Draco, yesterday it was Snivellus and tomorrow it'll be Peter?!" cried James.

Sirius shushed him and there was a pause.

 _"Peter?_!" he hissed.

"Yeah, Mary told me he and Lily had a one-on-one last night..." said James, bitterly, "...several of them, actually."

"Hold on, you talked to _Mary_ about this?!" cried Sirius, and this time, James shushed him.

"Of course I did," said James, whispering now. "Sirius, Draco lied _to my face_ when I asked what they were doing in the forest."

"James, _we_ lied to _his_ face about our detentions," said Sirius, his tone full of mockery.

James sighed. "Well whatever...look, I'm sure something is going on here."

"I think you're just being a little paranoid," said Sirius.

"Am I?" said James.

But Draco had heard enough.

Careful not to knock any books over, Draco slowly shifted his way around the bookcase and headed in the other direction. So _that's_ why James was so mad at him today. He was afraid of Draco fancying Lily! As if...

But this was easy to fix. He'd just simply have to start hating on Lily more publicly from now on. It wasn't like she was someone worth fighting with James over...or with Severus, for that matter...

Draco finally spotted what he'd come to the library for, and approached the little corner table. Mary looked up from her book.

"Oh," she said, a little startled. "Hi."

"Mind if I join you?" said Draco, taking a seat before she could answer.

"Uh yeah go ahead," said Mary, slowly.

Draco tried to read the title of her book upside-down, but Mary shifted uncomfortably in her seat, indicating that she was nervous.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Draco promised.

"I know that," said Mary, but even she couldn't hide the relief from her face.

Draco's eyes fell on her left arm and Mary, seeing this, quickly placed it under the desk and out of view. Draco's eyes met hers again. And then, without thinking of the many dangers of doing what he was about to do, Draco placed his own left arm on the desk and rolled up his sleeve. Mary leaned forwards, staring down at it.

"What is _that?!_ " she whispered.

Draco turned his arm slightly so she could see it more clearly...what was left of the Dark Mark was not noticeably visible. Instead, it just looked like a really long scar that Draco could've procured ages ago...a scar that just never went away completely.

Mary looked up at him. "How did you get it?"

"Growing up in an orphanage is hard enough without being different from everyone else there," he invented. "I suppose my arrogance got the best of me one day."

"When did you get the scar?" said Mary.

Draco shrugged. "It was ages ago, but it never completely healed." He paused. "I don't think it'll ever go away entirely."

Mary nodded, and Draco pulled his sleeve back down and sat back against his seat.

"So why did you just show me that?" Mary asked him.

Draco's eyes fell on her arm again, and she grew self-conscious about it.

"I saw something last night," he began. "But I'd rather you told me the story firsthand, than I go find out a twisted version from someone else."

Mary watched him nervously.

"It was him, wasn't it?" Draco said. "That's what the incident with Mulciber was last year."

"How did you—?"

"I hear things," said Draco. "What happened then?"

Mary looked around to make sure they were alone. And then, with another nervous glance at Draco, she pulled up her own sleeve and revealed the scar imprinted into the skin of her left arm. It was still fairly young and so it didn't take much squinting for Draco to finally read the word "slut". He looked up at Mary.

"I was a very different person before this year started," Mary began. "I was more...outgoing and risk-taking. If you asked to hear this story from someone else, they'd probably tell you I was just snobby and popular. I suppose that's true on some level, and I'm definitely not proud of it...so I guess I have Mulciber to thank for making me into a completely different person."

"What happened?" said Draco again.

Mary sighed. "We were partnered together for Potions one day. Well obviously we didn't get along, as you can imagine. But he started making all these remarks about how I was getting around a lot...and only because I was with Sirius at the time." Draco's eyes went round. "Oh...you didn't know that."

"Go on," he said.

Mary hesitated. "We weren't together exclusively or anything, Sirius and I...in fact I broke it off with him shortly after the incident."

"What was the incident?" said Draco, impatiently.

"I...i-it's nothing...it doesn't matter anymore..."

"Mary..." said Draco.

She looked up at him. "Well I...I got mad that Mulciber was saying these things to me...so I tricked him."

"How?"

"I made it look like he was stealing from the Potions room, and Slughorn gave him a big speech about it in front of the entire class."

"So what did he do to you?" said Draco.

Mary paused, and then looked down at her arm again. "I deserved it," she said quietly. "I should have realized it though when he bumped me next day. My bag exploded on me and he helped me pick up all my things. But then our quills got mixed up...so that when I got to class and I used what I thought was my quill..."

"You mean to say he actually went out and bought that as revenge?" spat Draco.

A tear dropped onto Mary's book. "Madame Pomfrey managed to get all the other scars out, but this is the first...the original...I think it'll stay there forever."

"There were more scars?" Draco hissed, looking horrified.

Mary nodded silently, and Draco scowled down at her arm. Mulciber had always been a worthless piece of trash, even in his adult life, but this...

Mary's head snapped up again and her expression changed. "Please don't go talking about this with anyone. I don't want to refresh it in anyone's mind. It was bad enough that the whole school found out about it."

"As long as _you_ don't tell anyone about _my_ scar," said Draco. "It's bad enough I've been the talk of the school for a month now."

Mary smiled. "Deal."

There was a pause.

"Did he get caught for it then?" said Draco.

Mary's smile instantly vanished. "No, he made up a really good excuse about how he hadn't known it was a...blood quill..."

Draco frowned.

"He claimed that I'd rejected a date with him and that he'd gone out to get me a present in hopes that I'd change my mind...but that he hadn't known it was a blood quill...that he thought it was just a fancy quill."

"And Dumbledore believed that?!" cried Draco.

"There wasn't any evidence," said Mary, softly. "Listen, it...it's all in the past now."

"Yeah, except it's made you into a completely different person," Draco pointed out. "You said so yourself."

Mary shrugged. "Sometimes, different's good."

Someone coughed behind Draco, and he turned around instantly, heart beating fast, expecting it to be either James or Sirius. But it was only Frank, who was frowning down at him.

"Oh," said Draco. "Hey."

"You've got a message for Alice or something?" Mary asked Frank.

She looked a little annoyed, which told Draco that Frank and Alice bombarded their friends with messages for each other quite a fair often.

"No," said Frank, pulling a small bit of parchment from out of his bag and handing it to Draco. "From Dumbledore."

"Thanks," said Draco, unfolding it quickly.

 _Draco,_

 _Please report to my office as soon as you can find the time to do so._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

Draco looked up at Mary.

"I've gotta go," he said, jumping from his chair.

"Kay," she said, smiling softly at him.

Draco sidestepped Frank and hurried out of the library. _What now_ , he thought as he ran past students and straight through wandering ghosts, past portraits shouting after him and down steps until he almost tripped. A hand flew out of nowhere and caught him just as his face was about to hit the ground. Frank straightened him up.

"You okay?" he asked, seriously.

"Yeah," gasped Draco, who hadn't realized how fast he'd been running. "I'm just...in a hurry..."

"Well Dumbledore can wait a few more minutes," said Frank, who Draco now noticed was still holding his arm.

Draco's face changed.

"What's going on?"

"You tell me," said Frank. "First you're all nice and flirty with Alice, then you fight with Lily in the common room and now you're getting it on with Mary?!"

"What?!" hissed Draco, pulling his arm free. "I'm not getting it on with anybody!"

"You are with _Alice_ ," Frank pointed out.

"I..."

"Look, I like you, Draco. And because I like you, I trust you. But if you hurt her in any way, I will have to crush you. So please don't make me have to do that. It's my last year and I hadn't exactly planned on getting expelled before I take my NEWTs."

"Frank," said Draco, lowering his voice despite their being alone in the corridor. "I don't know what you think you saw just now, but back there...in the library...that was honestly nothing." And he meant it too.

Frank's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

"I swear," Draco added. He already had enough problems with James, Severus, Regulus, and Lily. He didn't need another from Frank.

"I believe you," said Frank. "But we still needed to have this talk."

Draco nodded.

"Well," said Frank, whose expression finally relaxed. "See you later then."

He left.

Draco stared after him until he remembered the letter in his hands. He continued his run, gave the gargoyle the password, and entered through the door into the Headmaster's office.

"What's happened?" he gasped once he was inside.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, hands crossed on the table.

"Why haven't you thought to tell me that you've been invited into the Slug Club?"

"What?" said Draco.

"Did it not occur to you that this was worth mentioning?" said Dumbledore, in his still calm voice.

"I..." said Draco, puzzled. "I guess I forgot...?"

Dumbledore looked away from him.

"Wait so _that's_ why you called me in?" cried Draco. " _That's_ the big emergency?" More silence. "I thought someone had died!"

Dumbledore's eyes found his again.

"You don't understand," sighed Dumbledore. "Being a member of the Slug Club means you'll have a lot of influence over its most primary members. Those members are on the verge of joining Voldemort and his loyal followers."

"How do you know this?" said Draco. "Uh, sir..."

"Because Professor Slughorn only invites the most promising of students," said Dumbledore. "And most of his club has always been made up of students from his own house. Can you guess which those might be?"

"Regulus," breathed Draco.

"And you already got a glimpse firsthand of how well the Black brothers get along," said Dumbledore.

Draco stared at him, now realizing that they never did discuss Sirius' fight with Regulus and the boys' detention.

"I'm just surprised you didn't tell me," Dumbledore added. "I thought we'd agreed, many times, that you would report everything to me."

"We did..."

"I must say I was very surprised when Horace mentioned this today at lunch."

"I just forgot..."

"And I suppose you haven't given much thought as to what you'll attend the dinner party in..."

Draco bit his lip. The way Dumbledore was looking at him now, his half-moon spectacles having slid down to the tip of his nose, made Draco's stomach turn. He felt massive guilt now, and definitely ashamed...it wasn't a good feeling, disappointing Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry, Professor," he mumbled. "I honestly didn't think much of it...it's just a stupid club anyway..."

"I must ask you, Draco, to please adopt a better attitude where the Slug Club is concerned," said Dumbledore. "You have an extraordinary opportunity here to influence some of these kids away from the dark arts."

"How?!" cried Draco. "Professor, I'm not a hero!"

"No one is, Draco," said Dumbledore. "But you are intelligent. And you do have an in with the professor in charge of the club. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Draco frowned at him, but Dumbledore only sighed and nodded at the bag on the table near the window.

"Take that on your way out," he said. "And please don't forget about our lesson this Saturday night."

"I won't," said Draco, feeling a little hurt that Dumbledore expected him to forget.

He took the bag and left the office without another word to the professor. He didn't open the bag or even peek inside of it until he was safely locked in his dormitory's bathroom. There, he unfolded the black, tailored dress robes that Dumbledore had fetched for him. Draco sighed as he eyed the expensive-looking material, and then looked up at the mirror in front of him.

"What are you doing?" he asked his reflection.

* * *

"Come on, Draco, we're gonna be late!" Remus called from the bottom of the staircase a few hours later. Draco straightened himself up and then pocketed his wand and left the dormitory.

He hurried down the stairs to join Remus, who was standing with a small group of people just near the portrait hole. Draco froze instantly.

Frank was standing there, looking handsome and cool, and was chatting with that 5th year chaser about something Quidditch related. But just on Frank's other side, was Lily. She was wearing a dark red dress for the occasion, which made her long hair light up even more.

" _You're_ in the Slug Club?" Draco asked her.

Her eyes, which had wandered down to examine his overall attire, bounced back up to meet his, and to Draco's horror, she blushed.

"Yeah, I am."

"Cool," he muttered.

"Hey Lily," said Remus. She glanced at him. "You look good."

But Lily only gave him a vague smile and then turned to lead the way out of the common room, which was empty completely. Everyone else was probably hanging out in the Entrance Hall right now.

The group walked along the corridors in silence, Draco and Remus just at the back. The walk to Slughorn's office was not long at all, because soon enough Draco could hear music echoing from the walls.

When they reached the right corridor, they realized that they were being followed by a couple of students from a different house, all of them dressed nicely.

"Welcome, my students!" exclaimed Slughorn, who flew from out of his office in pure bliss. "Come in, come in!"

They followed into his office to find that a large round table had been conjured for the occasion. There were 17 plate settings and chairs but no food just yet.

Seating at the chairs were four people, three of which Draco recognised at a first glance. He smiled at Regulus, who smiled back. Draco actually made to sit next to him when Slughorn said, "Uh, since this is the first meeting of the year and we don't all know each other yet, I thought we'd sit according to our houses...just for today of course. Ah! Good evening, sweet Lily!"

"Hello Professor!" said Lily brightly. "How are you? How is Francis doing?"

"Fine, just fine," said Slughorn, who was waving the students to sit down.

Draco sat in between Remus and Frank, while Dirk Cresswell was on Frank's other side and Lily on Remus'. Regulus was seated in between Rosier and Avery and there was another girl with them. The other students also took their seats, but Draco didn't recognise any of them, except perhaps one of the younger girls who looked somewhat odd and confused. She was staring at Draco's plate setting and looking quite amused and incredibly familiar.

"Well then!" said Slughorn, taking his seat at the table and waving his wand for drinks to appear. "Let us begin. Welcome to the first club meeting of the year. The 17 of us shall be meeting regularly for dinners like these. Some of you have been here since you started at Hogwarts, while some of you are new to it this year." His eyes lingered over Draco. "But we shall all get acquainted soon enough, if not by the Christmas party at the very latest. Uh yes, there will be a Christmas party. I host it every year! And Adrian here, likes to take photographs of these parties, don't you, my boy?"

Slughorn patted the boy next to him on the back, and the boy smiled sheepishly.

"That's Adrian," Remus whispered to Draco. "He's in our year. Hufflepuff."

"So, why don't we all pick up our glasses and toast to what will soon become regular meetings," said Slughorn. Everyone picked up their water glasses.

"To new beginnings!" Slughorn cried.

"To new beginnings," they repeated.

When they set back their glasses, Slughorn waved his wand and food appeared all over the table. Everyone began loading their plates at once, while chatting amongst themselves. Draco tried to make eye contact with Regulus (though it had only been two days or so, it felt like weeks had passed since they'd last spoken) but he was too busy listening to the girl beside him talking about some new rule for the Prefects.

"I take it she's a prefect too then?" Draco said to Remus.

Remus followed his gaze to where the girl with the long black hair and the dark blue dress was talking to Regulus.

"That's Claire Cattermole," he nodded. "Slytherin."

"And who are they?" Draco asked, nodding his head once at the pair seated on the left.

"I think that girl's name is Florence but she's definitely in 7th year," said Remus. "She and Bertha Jorkins used to have it out for each other because of boys."

"Bertha who?" said Draco.

"Oh she's this girl who graduated last year," said Remus, dismissively. "She was always a bit...dim."

"Uh...Hufflepuff?" said Draco, his eyes on the girl called Florence who didn't look like she very much enjoyed being there at the moment.

Remus shook his head. "Ravenclaw."

"You don't say," said Draco, his eyebrows raised. "And the one next to her?"

"Stebbins, also Ravenclaw," said Remus. "He's in our year."

"What's his story?"

"Just a really good student," said Remus.

"So like you then," said Draco.

Remus paused. "Well...he's a little _too_ obsessed with school." Draco looked round at him. "During our charms OWL, Flitwick had to take his paper away from him because he wanted to keep writing even after our time was up."

"Dork," snorted Draco. "And her?"

Remus followed his gaze to the confused looking girl. "Uh...I'm not too sure what her name is...I know she's a 4th year though...Sybill something...?"

"So, Mr. Abbott, any ideas on how you're going to achieve those NEWTs?" said Slughorn, addressing the boy from the remaining group which Draco could only guess belonged to Hufflepuff. "For those of you who don't know, Giffard Abbott here is a seventh year and he's pursuing a very respectable career after Hogwarts, in the ministry."

"Uh yes sir," said Abbott. "My mother and father have selected a tutor to keep me in check for the exams."

"Very good, very good," said Slughorn, turning to Abbott's neighbour. "And what about _your_ NEWTs, Miss Jones?"

"Also a seventh year," Remus whispered to Draco. "And about the nicest girl you'll ever meet."

"You know her?"

"Hestia has helped me in the library quite a few times before," Remus explained.

"...but I think I'll get it all done in time," the girl called Hestia concluded.

"Ah I'm sure you will, Miss Jones," said Slughorn.

By the time dessert had come around, not only did Draco finally learn the identity of the weird girl as being the young form of Professor Trelawney, but Lily also managed to beat out Slughorn in every historical fact they practically shouted out at each other. It was actually very impressive. Beaming and eyes sparkling, Slughorn waved his wand to make more dessert appear on the table.

He then turned to talk to the blond Ravenclaw boy, whose familiar name Draco was also somewhat surprised to learn. Xenophilius Lovegood, the future editor in chief of that joke of a newspaper, the Quibbler, was sitting right before him in his fourth year youth.

This was surreal.

"So how did Slughorn pick who would come here tonight?" Draco wondered.

Remus shifted in his seat.

"Take a good look at everyone around you right now, Draco," he said. When Draco frowned at him, he added "Trust me". So Draco looked. He watched Regulus and Claire for a moment, chatting about prefect things again. He started to wonder whether Regulus had a thing for this girl who sure liked to talk a lot. He then looked at Avery, who was listening to Frank talking about something...then Trelawney who was staring curiously at the chandelier hanging above...then Stebbins, Lovegood, Florence, and Adrian, all of whom were watching Slughorn admirably as he told some tale...then Lily who was talking to Hestia in quiet tones, and Dirk, who was just sitting there and eating his dessert in silence...and finally Draco's eyes landed on Remus, watching him.

"Well?" said Remus. "Do you see it yet?"

Draco shook his head, still not understanding.

"Every single person at this table is a jewel on the invisible crown that Slughorn wears," he explained, his voice very hushed so that only Draco could hear him. "Every person here is someone he believes will go far in life, for whatever reason. Be it their determination or their courage...their cleverness or even just their money...and he collects these jewels every year because years after graduation, they all come back to thank the one who 'believed in them all this time'."

"That's disgusting," said Draco, his eyes on Slughorn who was sipping his wine.

Remus smiled. "It's the sad reality that lies beneath all of that."

"But then why do you bother coming to these things?" Draco asked.

Remus hesitated before answering. "You're gonna say I'm ridiculous...but I actually like the idea of students from different houses getting together, be it a stupid reason and everything, and just talking over dinner and stuff...there's something very assuring about that...like it's not yet hopeless...like interhouse friendships really _can_ still exist."

"You're ridiculous," said Draco.

Remus grinned at him.

"Mr. Cresswell, do tell us how you managed to break it," Slughorn was saying now.

Everyone turned to look at the 5th year Gryffindor who'd been in his own little bubble until now. It was only now that Draco realized the boy had a cast on his left arm. He'd been so preoccupied with why Lily and Remus were acting weird back in the common room, and then learning everyone's names here at the dinner table, that he'd completely ignored Dirk, whose cast was now very clearly visible.

Dirk began to tell the enchanting tale, but Draco soon grew bored with it, and his eyes landed on Rosier, who was watching Dirk intently. Was _this_ who Dumbledore was talking about, when he'd mentioned at-risk Slytherins? Was Draco supposed to better influence Rosier? And Avery? He knew Regulus was at the top of his list, but he'd already gained his trust. It shouldn't be too difficult now to say "FUCK OFF" if Regulus suggested a field trip to Voldemort's hideout anytime soon. But were Rosier and Avery serious threats? For now, they only looked like a couple of dumb school kids. How would it be possible for them to become Death Eaters not long from now?

And what about the rest of these kids? These Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws who were seated before him, caring only about schoolwork and friendships...were _they_ at risk too? Could monsters really be made from such innocent beings?

And then Draco remembered how easy it had been for _him_ to get sucked into it...and he was exactly their age now when it had happened. It was _very_ easy. _Too_ easy.

"Bye bye now," said Slughorn an hour later as he waved the students off.

Lily and Remus had stayed behind to help him clean up, but Draco was not stupid, so he lingered around the neighbouring corridor instead of going back to the common room himself. Everyone else had left, and it wouldn't be long before Lily and Remus left too.

But boy was Draco wrong...as it turned out, Slughorn had kept them in there for a good forty minutes, rambling about whatever nonsense. Draco had actually taken a seat on the bench near one of the corridor's windows when he heard the door to Slughorn's office opening and closing. Footsteps echoed and Draco suddenly jumped to his feet.

"I suppose I shouldn't have mentioned the goblins," Remus was saying. "We both know how he gets when they're mentioned."

"Chatty," said Lily, coldly.

"Yeah, guess it's my fault then," said Remus.

"Yeah, guess it is," said Lily.

Draco crept along the corridor listening to their footsteps and following along to the rhythm. There was silence. And then...

"Lily wait," said Remus.

The footsteps stopped at once. Draco too, froze.

"Talk to me," said Remus. "Why are you mad at me?"

"I'm not," said Lily.

"Come on, Lily, it's me!" said Remus. "What is it that you can't tell _me_?"

Lily said something but Draco couldn't quite make out what it was. Ever so carefully, he moved along the corridor until he reached the end of it, and knew that if they just took a few more steps to the right, they'd bump right into him.

"...and I must say, I expected more from you, Remus, I really did," Lily finished.

"Lily, I—"

"You _lied_ to me, Remus! Over and over and _over_ again! You promised me when I found you out that there would be no more secrets. You _promised_ , Remus!"

"I know, Lily, but I—"

"I trusted you! And by lying to me, you just made me feel like an idiot."

"Lily, please listen to me!" cried Remus. Draco held his breath so as not to miss a single word. He had to know what this was about. "I know. Okay? _I know!_ I know it was wrong of me to keep this a secret from you and I know how much danger we put ourselves in by doing this, but I really had no control over it! Lily, you've got to believe me. I told them. I tried to stop them but they just wouldn't listen to me!"

"Yeah you know what?" said Lily. "I happen to believe that."

Draco frowned, wondering what _else_ the boys were hiding from him at this point.

"Well then you know that I must realize how idiotic and dangerous this has been," said Remus, his voice a little less desperate now. "But what can I do if they're stubborn? They know my secret and they're willing to _keep it_ , Lily. They're willing to stay my _friends!_ To me, that's a major sacrifice. And if they want to do this, who am I to stop them?"

Lily sighed, and both Draco and Remus knew he'd won that argument.

"And the map?" she said after a moment's silence.

There was a pause.

"We got the idea for it in third year but we didn't really start working on it until—"

"—until fourth year, yeah I know," said Lily. "Peter told me. At least _he_ was honest with me."

"Lily..."

"Look Remus, I just don't get it. Professor Dumbledore has been so kind to you through all of this...and McGonagall too and Madame Pomfrey...why would you risk it all for a little rule-breaking fun with a couple of gits?"

"Don't call them that, Lily. They're my best friends. They're really tolerant. You don't know them like I do."

"Okay fine, but answer my question," said Lily.

Draco shifted again, desperate to catch every single word of this conversation.

"I'm not proud of it," said Remus, quietly. "But the map doesn't do anyone any harm."

"Right," laughed Lily. It was a cold laugh. "It only just violates the privacy of every single being to walk these grounds."

"Lily," said Remus, seriously. "For the longest time, I have been alone in this. Don't start with me with the whole 'you could've told me sooner' business, okay? No. I couldn't have told you. And if I had my way, I'd make sure you still didn't know. The only reason you know is because I put you in danger that night...and because you're too smart for your own good." He paused again. "Lily, they've done so much for me...more than you'll ever know. And every day, I think about how much danger I put them through and how I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ever attacked any one of them. But don't you see? That's how I know they're true friends. They're willing to stick by me when I'm this ugly."

"You're not ugly," Lily said quickly.

"Thank you," said Remus, softly. "But my point is...I am hardly in any position to dictate their lives or tell them what to do. Surely you must understand that..."

And then there was the sound of shuffling and everything went quiet. Draco slowly and very carefully moved along the corridor to glimpse what was happening, and found Lily hugging Remus very tightly.

"When are you going to stick it into your head?" she was saying. "There is nothing, Remus, _nothing_ ugly about you..." she pulled away from him. "There is no monster in here," she said, both her hands on his heart. "And the sooner you figure that out, the better for all of us."

"Lily," Remus whispered. "Have I ever told you that you're the best friend I've ever had?"

And suddenly, Draco felt very uncomfortable...like he was intruding on something very private. He had no business being there and listening to these personal things between two childhood friends. It was too private, and after all, he hadn't known Remus or Lily for that long to be able to eavesdrop on intense things like that. So he moved as silently as he possibly could, away from the corridor until he couldn't hear them anymore. Then, he climbed up some steps and took the long route back to Gryffindor Tower, all the while thinking that if James had been jealous because he'd found Draco and Lily in the Forbidden Forest, their werewolf friend would be dead meat if James should ever hear what Draco had just heard...

When Draco climbed in through the portrait hole, he found that Remus had already beaten him there and was sitting with the marauders in their usual spot by the fireplace. Lily was, presumably, already in her dormitory, sound asleep like all the rest of the Gryffindors.

"Hey, where've you been?" said Sirius while Draco approached them.

"I thought I forgot my wand back in Slughorn's office so I had to go check," he said, sitting down on the couch.

"Why d'you take it with you anyway?" Sirius began, but Remus stopped him. The boys all fell silent.

"W-what's going on?" Draco asked, afraid of hearing the answer at this point.

Remus glanced backwards at one of the tables in the far corner of the common room. He then looked back at Draco. "Alice is waiting for you."

Draco jumped out of his seat. Sure enough, Alice was sitting in the shadows of the common room, with her wand lit dimly over a book in her lap. Draco took a deep breath and then began to walk towards her. The rest of the boys got back to their conversations, no doubt by Remus' orders. He, unlike Draco, had the decency not to eavesdrop.

"Hey," Draco said once he'd reached Alice.

She looked up from her book and then quickly sat up.

"Hey," she said. "Didn't see you there. How was the party?"

"It was alright," he shrugged.

She made room for him on the window ledge and he shifted to sit next to her. Alice slowly closed the book in her lap and increased the light at the tip of her wand just by a smidge, so that she could see his face clearly.

"So," he said, slowly. "What's going on?"

Alice was quiet for a long time. She looked like whatever she had to say was going to be one of the toughest things she'd ever had to say. But before she even started talking, Draco realized what this was about.

"We need to break up," she began. Her eyes then went round. "Oh goodness, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blurt it out like that, I just...uh..." Draco stared at her. "Let me start over." She paused again. "Look, you're really nice but...you're just a kid!"

"You make it sound like I'm a newbie," Draco muttered.

Alice let out a nervous laugh. "No, of course not. But like...I have my NEWTs this year to focus on, and you're new here and all...I..." She took a deep breath. "Okay, the truth is, I'm not really looking into seeing anyone right now. I just want to be by myself for a while, you know?"

" _Much better,"_ thought Draco. He'd started to fear for Alice's breakup skills.

"I hope we could still be friends though," she said, desperately trying to read Draco's expression.

He smiled at her. "I'm sure we will be."

Alice smiled back at him, though apologetically. Then, she picked up her wand and book. "I'm gonna go to bed." She kissed him on the cheek and then retreated to her dormitory. Draco remained at the window for a good two minutes before he remembered the marauders and joined them near the fireplace again.

"What happened?" said Sirius.

Remus kicked him.

"OWWW! _What d'you do that for?_!"

"Quiet, you'll wake everybody up!" James hissed.

"I didn't say anything!" cried Peter.

"For the hundredth time," Remus was saying to Sirius, "You shouldn't butt in on other people's—

"We broke up," said Draco.

The boys all fell silent.

"We're not going out anymore," Draco added.

He too, was quite shocked. He didn't feel hurt or anything...just numb. Truth be told, this had never happened to him before...and it didn't feel great.

"Sorry, mate," Sirius mumbled. "You wanna talk about it?"

"No," said Draco. "I really don't."

"Are you okay?" said Peter.

Draco paused. "Y-yeah...I think I am."

"Good for you," said Remus, smiling brightly at him.

James was the only one who hadn't spoken. He looked almost regretful as he sat there, staring at a blank spot on the carpet.

"So..." said Sirius, awkwardly. "What did you lot and Sluggy talk about for two and a half hours?"

"The usual ruckus," Remus assured him. "It wasn't a special night or anything."

"What did you guys do?" Draco wondered.

"Wizard's Chess," shrugged Sirius.

James snapped back into reality and nodded.

"Oh, before I forget..." said Remus, leaning forwards. "Dirk Cresswell's arm is broken."

" _What?!"_ cried James and Sirius together.

"Yeah, we saw him at the dinner," said Draco.

"Apparently it only happened this morning," said Remus. "Something about a squid and a seagull..."

"But..." said Sirius.

"How..." said James.

"He says Madame Pomfrey swears it'll take at least a month for it to heal properly," Remus went on.

"But then that means..."

"No Quidditch," said Remus.

"Oh great," said James, bitterly. "Now I'm out a chaser, and Dumbledore's moved up the first match of the season a full week."

"When is it?" said Remus.

"October 17," groaned Sirius. "We just found out today at dinner."

"Don't worry, you guys," said Peter.

But James was not listening.

"Well this is just bloody great," he said. "Just when I thought—"

"I'll do it," said Draco.

All boys' eyes fell on him.

"You will?" said Sirius.

"Yeah," said Draco, confidently. "I'll fill in for Cresswell. But just for this opening match."

"That's really nice of you," said Remus.

"It'd actually fix our problem easily..." said Sirius.

But James had his eyes narrowed at Draco.

"Why?" he asked him.

All boys turned back to Draco.

"Because I know how much it means to you," Draco declared.

"I...don't know what to say..." said James, who honestly looked to be speechless. "Um, t-thank you, Draco."

"Yeah, thanks," said Sirius. "If it wasn't for you..."

 _You have no idea_ , Draco wanted to say.

* * *

 **Please review and let us know...what do you think of Draco at this point in the story?**


	15. Crooked

**AN: So we've decided the perspective that we're going to show for the next holiday special, but we'll leave that to you to guess (or hope for). The next holiday special chapter will be released on Thanksgiving, so all you American readers should know when to get excited, cause it's gonna be even more epic than the last special was. **

**Enjoy this chapter and have a wonderful rest of the week everyone!**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 15: CROOKED

The wand was now shaking in his hands as he pointed it into the darkness. His grip around it tightened, and his heartbeat quickened. The old man standing in front of him did not even look scared or worried. Rather, he looked sad…like he had failed miserably.

"Draco," he said now. "You are not a killer."

"How do you know what I am?!" Draco shot at him, hearing the trembling in his own voice but trying desperately to fight it. "You don't know what I'm capable of! You don't know what I've done!"

"Oh but I do," said the man, softly.

Down below, the fighting and the yelling was growing ever so louder. There were thumps and shouts. Draco glanced over his shoulder nervously, wondering, _fearing_ who might have gotten killed now. Not his father… _surely_ not his mother…they'd told him they wouldn't come here tonight. What about Severus? He might've woken up to see what all the commotion was about.

"Draco," said Dumbledore, turning his head back to him. "Years ago, I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices." Draco stared at him. "Please let me help you."

Draco's mouth opened but no sound came out of it. He could feel his own shaking arm lowering slightly, his eyes watering, and his breath hitching. It was as though someone had placed a body-binding spell on him. He had never felt quite so paralysed before—so out of control of his own actions. Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush or the rushed amount of anxiety that was overwhelming him now. Though whatever it was, Draco now knew in his heart that he could not do it. And that was the very reason he knew he had to.

" _Mr. Black!"_

Draco's eyes popped open. Sweating slightly, he looked around. He was sitting at his desk in Claybrook's classroom, where everyone was staring at him, including Sirius beside him. Draco's head turned here and there, and he even glanced up at the ceiling and out the windows. He was really here…not there.

"Mr. Black," said Claybrook, impatiently.

Draco's eyes snapped up at the front of the classroom.

"Uh," he said, feeling very aware of all the staring faces. "I'm sorry, what was the question?"

Claybrook raised his eyebrows. Suddenly, Lily's hand shot into the air.

"Miss Evans?" said Claybrook.

"I think what Draco means to say, professor, is that just because these creatures possess human corpses does not mean that they possess human soul or even intelligence. They are mindless creatures without the capacity to think or to reason. And that right there, is perhaps what doesn't make them very dangerous."

"Really? How so, Miss Evans?" said Claybrook, who gave Draco a look before turning back to Lily again.

"Well any villain is most frightening if you know they are aware of their actions and their intentions," said Lily. "When one is unaware of the illegality of their actions, like the inferi, it's one thing. But when they are pursuing such actions _because_ of their illegality, that's fatal."

Claybrook pursed his lips.

"Very well then," he said, turning back to the board. "And to what degree does that make Necromancy a soulless practice in which…"

Draco sighed. He could still hear his heartbeat ringing in his ears. Perhaps that late night game of cards with Sirius hadn't been such a good idea after all.

At the end of the lesson, Draco hurried out of the classroom because Lily had already left. He pushed past people in the crowded corridors until he spotted the red hair moving up the grand staircase.

"Hey wait up!" Draco called after her. "LILY!"

She turned around, books cluttered in her hands and practically falling.

"I'm late for Arithmancy," she said.

"You didn't have to do that," he told her. "Back there in the classroom—I didn't need your help."

"I know," she said, simply.

One of the books in her hands cluttered to the floor with a loud thump and Draco bent down to pick it up. He handed it to her, but she only gave him a small smile before taking it and hurrying back up the stairs. Draco stared after her. It was so frustrating—she was so hard to read. Evans was one of those people who were just too unpredictable for their own good. It was like their game of Truth. He'd expected her to go and cry somewhere because he'd been too _rude_ for her liking, but instead, she came back through the portrait hole ready for a whole new match. And boy was she interrogative the second time around…

He just couldn't figure her out.

"Oy, Draco!" someone shouted.

Draco looked over his shoulder and found Sirius hurrying up the steps to where he was standing.

"Everything okay?" he said, his voice lowered and his face concerned.

The mass of students was still passing up and down the steps for their next classes.

"Fine," said Draco, simply. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Sirius tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowed at Draco's.

"What?" said Draco.

"You do realize I sit next to you in Defense, right?" said Sirius. "This isn't the first time I've caught you in the middle of having some nightmare!"

"How did you—?"

"I'm not a bloody idiot, Draco!" cried Sirius.

"Will you keep your voice down?" Draco hissed at him, and both of them looked around the crowded hall.

Sirius sighed. "So what's up then?"

"Nothing!" cried Draco. "Honestly, I'm fine."

"Yeah? You don't look it, mate," said Sirius.

The crowd finally began to subside, indicating that Sirius was late for Care of Magical Creatures.

Reading Draco's mind, Sirius shook his head.

"There's no way I'm going to class now...not after what just happened back there..."

"Yeah and what exactly do you plan on telling James after when he asks why you didn't show up?" Draco shot at him. "'Oh sorry Prongs, but _someone_ had to babysit the weakling—'"

"We don't think you're a weakling," said Sirius straightaway.

"Right," laughed Draco. "So just a nutter then."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well maybe..." When Draco didn't smile back, Sirius added, "Why don't I just join you for free period today?"

"And James?"

Sirius paused. "He doesn't have to know everything."

"You'll get detention for skipping class."

"Yeah, what _else_ is new?"

Draco sighed. "I...don't know..."

"Come on," said Sirius, waving his hands. "This day is getting on my nerves and it's only third period. I've got an idea."

* * *

Sirius was right. Getting to the Three Broomsticks during the week, with the help of the Marauder's Map and James's cloak, was fairly easy and definitely doable. Once there, they were able to sneak some tables at the back without being noticed. Not many villagers were at the pub during the weekday, and Madame Rosmerta was so fond of Sirius by now that she didn't care when she saw them there.

They ordered their butterbeers and even split a cauldron cake. Draco was so sure that, once Madame Rosmerta served their drinks and went away, Sirius would begin his interrogation. But to Draco's utter surprise, Sirius didn't mention one word about what had happened back in Claybrook's classroom. On the contrary, they laughed about random things and spent a good three hours at the pub. Sure, it lifted Draco's mood considerably, but he still felt on edge. It was only when they started heading back that Draco realized he'd totally skipped his Friday afternoon Muggle Studies lesson. As if he didn't already have enough to deal with without adding more disappointment from Dumbledore to the mix...

And then there was the whole clan-leader thing to worry about.

"There's no way that James won't be suspicious," Draco was telling Sirius as they walked along the dark tunnel back to Hogwarts. "You weren't at Care of Magical Creatures when I had a free period and I wasn't at Muggle Studies when you had yours. He'll know we were up to something and he'll wonder why he wasn't included."

"Relax Draco," said Sirius, who was leading the way with his lit wand. "We went out for a few pick-me-ups, it's not like we planned a prank without him." He paused and made a face. "Ugh, even joking about it hurts..."

"Look I don't care about that," said Draco, impatiently. "I don't want James or any of the others knowing about...well about the nightmares."

"Draaaaacooooo," Sirius sang. "You're overreacting again. I've noticed you do that a lot; you need to chill. I've known James a little longer than you have. I got this."

Draco sighed, but definitely did not relax. The day alone felt like one huge anxiety attack that would never go away.

"These nightmares though..." Sirius began. "Do you get them often?"

Draco shrugged.

"Are they recurring ones or always something new?"

"I dunno," Draco mumbled.

"Well have you told Dumbledore about them?"

Draco paused. "Yeah, of course I have." Sirius narrowed his eyes at him. "In fact he made me see a childhood therapist when I was younger."

"Blimey, is that right?" said Sirius. "What for?"

"I was a wizard living in a _muggle_ orphanage for many years," said Draco. "What do you think?"

Sirius laughed.

"So this therapist...what d'you talk about?"

"Uh he mostly asked questions to help me try to remember things from before the orphanage."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah but it didn't do any good. I don't remember anything at all."

"So we still don't know which of my relatives you're related to exactly," said Sirius. "Uh directly, I mean..."

"Yeah," said Draco. "Looks like it."

"I wish _I'd_ gone to therapy as a child," Sirius mumbled.

Draco cast him a curious glance but said nothing. It had been a while since they'd talked about his family, but something told him this wasn't the right time to rehash things. There would be plenty of opportunity for that later.

When they returned to the common room, there were still ten minutes left of the last class for the day. Sirius, who had adopted a very "so what" attitude about it, lounged in front of the fireplace and took a nap until James, Remus and Peter climbed in through the portrait hole.

"Where were you lot today?" James asked, shaking Sirius awake.

"Had to cheer my buddy Draco up," said Sirius simply.

"Cheer you up?" James asked Draco.

"Yeah, haven't you heard?" said Sirius. "Draco here is lovesick over Alice."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Not funny, Sirius," said Remus.

Peter sighed. "At least it's the weekend."

"Yeah, finally," said Sirius. "This week had to be the longest there ever was."

"So how are you doing with the whole Alice thing?" James asked, sitting next to Draco.

"I'm totally fine," said Draco, meaning it too.

"That's not the word on the street," said Sirius.

Draco stared at him. "Exactly what do you mean by that?"

"We didn't wanna tell you," said Remus, who was glaring at Sirius now. "But everyone at school's found out about the breakup."

"Yeah, and?" said Draco.

"I'll say this as delicately as I can," said James. "They think you're depressed 'cause you got dumped."

"That was the delicate way?" said Remus.

"I don't get it," said Draco. "I'm laughing all the time. How am I depressed?"

"People don't need proof," said Remus. "They just need to hear it from someone who heard it from another someone."

"It's just the way the world works," Peter added.

Draco rested his head on the couch and closed his eyes. As if there wasn't enough on his mind to worry about without added rumours...

The next day however, all became clear. Word around the school was that Draco was too depressed because the breakup with Alice made him realize he wasn't himself with her and he didn't know who he was. People everywhere were saying that he hadn't been able to satisfy Alice because—

"I'M NOT GAY!" he bellowed at James and Sirius during Quidditch practice Saturday morning, while the two bawled with laughter in the change rooms.

"Stop it, guys!" Draco repeated. "It's not funny!"

But James and Sirius weren't listening. Apparently, the rumours about Draco being gay were the joke of the century, or so they claimed.

"Oh calm down, man," said Sirius after they'd left the change rooms and headed towards the pitch. "We're just poking fun at how ridiculous all this talk is."

"Yeah, we of _all_ people know how _not gay_ you are," said James, patting Draco once on the shoulder before hurrying ahead to talk to his team.

"Come on," said Sirius, ushering Draco to join him in the air next to the goal hoops. "You'll be fine—just concentrate on Quidditch for the next hour, okay?"

Draco only nodded. He still couldn't believe that, after trying so hard to ease things up a little in this timeline, he'd still managed to get himself caught up in a Quidditch mess. And it was all because of Dirk Cresswell and his stupid broken arm.

On the whole, Quidditch practice that day didn't go so bad actually. Even Draco was surprised at how well he clicked with the team, especially given the fact that he was very rusty and had never even played the chaser position before.

James had the entire team practicing as often as he possibly could. But when Saturday was drawing to a close and James insisted on another practice for the evening, Draco had to put his foot down.

"I'm sorry," he kept repeating, "But I can't skip out on lessons with Dumbledore—you know that."

"But can't you just tell him that you'll do it tomorrow night or the day after?" said James, desperately, over dinner in the Great Hall.

"Yeah man, 'cause this is really important to us," said Sirius. "We've got a game coming up."

"Guys, you have another two weeks at the very least," said Remus. "Draco can't skip out on _Dumbledore_ for something as pathetic as—"

"It is _not_ pathetic!" cried James and Sirius together.

Remus sighed and turned to Draco. "Whatever you do, don't even think about skipping out on him."

"I won't," Draco promised.

And he had every intention to hold onto that promise. Little did the boys know just how important these weekly meetings with Dumbledore actually were…

At the end of dinner, Draco hopped to his feet and said goodbye to the Marauders, who were all headed to the Entrance Hall for the after-dinner hangout. Passing along the Gryffindor table, Draco and Alice locked eyes and nodded at each other. And then, just as suddenly, the group of girls surrounding Alice _exploded_ into hushed whispers and giggles. Draco groaned silently. Little teenage girls really did annoy him.

When he reached Dumbledore's office, he realized how much he'd actually missed this, _and_ how much he actually had to talk about. Although the last time they'd met for a lesson was just last weekend, it felt like years and years ago. So much, it seemed, had happened since that last meeting…Remus' full moon and the Slug Club dinner…Draco and Lily alone had had a really intense evening just a couple of nights before. And something told Draco that there would be a lot more intense evenings over the next week or two, as the October full moon drew nearer.

Draco rapped on the door three times and it opened at its own accord. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, head bent over a piece of parchment as his quill scratched away. At the sight of Draco, he sat up and gave him a warm smile.

"Happy to see you here again, Draco," he said.

"Watcha working on?" Draco asked, taking a seat in his usual chair.

"Oh nothing," said Dumbledore, who tapped the quill and parchment once with his wand and made both vanish.

Draco crossed his arms.

"We are here to talk about _you_ ," Dumbledore reminded him. "So, how have you been?"

"Fine," said Draco. "Um…so I went to that first Slug Club dinner thing."

Dumbledore nodded. "And how did you find it?"

"Honestly?" said Draco, hesitantly. "At first I thought it was a waste of my time, but I suppose things got interesting when I found out that Sybill Trelawney and Xenophilius Lovegood are proud members of the club."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Were you really? And why so?"

Draco hesitated, remembering Dumbledore's wish not to be told everything. But before he could answer, Dumbledore's expression changed and he nodded.

"So you know their adult versions," he concluded. "Yes, I suppose that is very fascinating for any time traveller."

Draco frowned at the new title Dumbledore gave him, but said nothing.

"Tell me, how is young Regulus doing?"

"He's not that young," Draco mumbled, unsure of whether Dumbledore could hear him. "But he's fine. He was busy talking to this Cattermole girl the entire night."

"I wasn't asking about just the Slug Club," said Dumbledore.

"In general?" said Draco. Dumbledore nodded. "Um, I…don't really know…"

The truth was he'd been so busy with Gryffindor things lately that Slytherin (or any aspect of it) hadn't even popped into his mind. Dumbledore lowered his head so that he could look at Draco over his half-moon spectacles, in that same suspicious way he liked to do.

"Draco," he said, softly. "I understand the importance of making friends in Gryffindor and I most definitely applaud it, but I also need to make sure you understand just how important it is for you to avoid neglecting your former house."

"I'm not," said Draco, quickly. "I'm not neglecting it." Dumbledore raised his head slightly. "I…I've just been busy…I've had a lot on my mind."

"Such as?" said Dumbledore.

Draco hesitated.

"Well these meetings are partly for your extended education and partly for us to catch up, aren't they?" said Dumbledore, simply. "So do tell me, what has been on your mind?"

Draco looked around at all the portraits of headmasters and headmistresses on the walls. He then looked back at Dumbledore.

"Well I suppose you're already aware that Remus Lupin just had his full moon transformation a few nights ago," he said. Dumbledore nodded once. "I guess…I guess I was a little distracted that night. You know, thinking about where he was and what he was doing and all…"

"He didn't tell you, did he?" said Dumbledore.

"No," said Draco, quickly. "No of course not. He doesn't talk to anyone about it. I imagine that's something that _you_ advised him, years ago…"

Dumbledore frowned.

"I mean, that's just my best guess," Draco mumbled.

"Well the other boys know," said Dumbledore after a moment's silence. "I just imagined you'd be fairly upset for being…left out, in some ways—"

"I'm not," said Draco. "I feel fine."

There was silence.

"Very well then, carry on," said Dumbledore, sitting back in his chair and crossing his own arms.

Draco shrugged. "Um...so yeah it was definitely an interesting night. I guess the next dinner will be more interesting now that I know everyone there."

"Naturally," agreed Dumbledore. "What else has been on your mind?"

Draco thought. What details of his exciting week did he feel were worth mentioning to Dumbledore? Or rather, what details would be best kept under the radar, at least for the time being? His little field trip to the Forbidden Forest was one for sure.

"Um I met Mary MacDonald," Draco offered. "And she told me about what happened with that Mulciber kid last year."

"Did she really?" said Dumbledore. "Well I'm definitely surprised that she trusted a stranger enough to tell that story."

"I'm...good with people I guess," said Draco. "I dunno but the point is that she did tell me and quite frankly I can't believe he's still at school here." Dumbledore frowned. "You're the _headmaster_ here!"

"When you are headmaster of this school and have parents from prejudiced pureblooded families to deal with, as well as an entire board of directors, also heavily made up of those types of wizards, _then_ we'll talk," he said, quite calmly.

Draco shrugged.

"And speaking of girls you've been talking to," said Dumbledore, a hint of a smile creeping up on his old face. "How are you doing with your recent breakup?"

Draco reddened instantly.

"Any heartache? Tears? Stories to tell?" said Dumbledore.

"Stop it," said Draco, through gritted teeth.

"Too painful to talk about?" guessed Dumbledore.

"Let's just talk about something else," Draco muttered.

Dumbledore smiled innocently, but Draco could see right through it.

"Anyway," he said, desperate to steer the conversation in another direction, "I've agreed to replace Dirk Cresswell on the Gryffindor Quidditch team just for this upcoming match."

"So I assumed," said Dumbledore.

"Y-you did?"

"When I saw young Mr. Cresswell and his broken arm, I knew it was only a matter of time before Mr. Potter asked you to take his position for the opening match."

"Well 'asked' is a bit of an understatement," Draco mumbled. "But yeah, I'm playing in two weeks."

"And are you okay with that?"

"Would I have a choice if I wasn't?"

Dumbledore frowned. "I was under the impression that you don't do anything you don't want to."

Draco looked away from him but his eyes only landed on the portrait of Phineas Nigellus just behind Dumbledore. He cringed.

"Well anyway, I'll play the match."

"So what else has happened in the last week?"

Draco thought for a second.

"Nothing much," he finally answered.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Nothing at all?" Draco shook his head. "You can't think of anything worth mentioning? Anything whatsoever?" Again, Draco shook his head. Dumbledore sighed. "What about your little outing to Hogsmeade Village with Mr. Black?"

Draco's eyes went round. He sat up. "How did you—?"

"I've already told you once before that I know everything that goes on in my school," said Dumbledore. "Well, most things...lovely Rosmerta is a dear friend."

"But I thought she and Sirius had an understanding or whatever," said Draco.

"They may," shrugged Dumbledore. "But Rosa and I have had an understanding far longer than they have."

"So then if you knew we were sneaking out, why didn't you stop us?"

"Well," said Dumbledore, a strange sort of mischievous smile on his face now. "That's going to have to stay my secret." He paused. "How _did_ you manage to get there without running into teachers along the way?"

"I'm sorry, professor, but that's gonna have to stay my secret," said Draco, but Dumbledore's smile only widened.

"Before we get on with our lesson for the evening, I do have one small detail about your story that I need to clarify," he said. Draco frowned. "Earlier, you mentioned the name Harry Potter. You said he grows up to become the Boy Who Lived."

"Y-yeah that's right," said Draco, who couldn't _believe_ his ears. Dumbledore was _actually_ talking about it for once!

"I suppose I'm just being merely curious in asking who the boy's mother was...or is..or will be..."

Draco's face changed. " _That's_ what you're curious about?! There's _so much_ I want to tell you—that I'm practically _dying_ to tell you—but all you care about is who James Potter is gonna knock up?!"

"Please, Draco, not in my office," said Dumbledore. "Don't forget, I am still your headmaster."

"But sir—"

"Just answer the question."

Draco sighed. "Lily Evans."

Dumbledore fell silent.

"I know that's hard to believe," Draco started. "But she and James will get married in a few years and they'll have this kid who'll become the Boy Who Lived after Voldemort decides to come after them."

"Decides to?" said Dumbledore.

"Well there is this whole prophecy thing that I sort of need to tell you about but you refuse to listen, so..."

"Very well then," said Dumbledore. "Let us get started with our lesson."

Draco sighed. He had been _so close!_ Honestly, when was this paranoia going to come to an end? It was ridiculous.

"You have successfully learned the Patronus Charm," Dumbledore began, "For which, by the way, I congratulate you. A job well done." Draco nodded once. "But now there is something else I am interested in teaching you."

"What is it?"

"A kind of magic that is thought to be very controversial by many..."

Draco frowned.

"You mentioned to me once that you have learned occlumency," Dumbledore continued. "And occlumency is definitely a useful tool for knowing in defense against the dark arts. But this magic...will be like the opposite of defense." Draco stared at him. "However, under the circumstances, I feel that it is necessary for you to learn this magic. I feel that, however dangerous it may be, it will be necessary with time."

"Dangerous?" said Draco.

"Taught to the wrong person, this type of magic can be destructive," said Dumbledore. "It can ruin lives and people. It can fuel that little beast that lives in each of us...the beast that thrives on power and dominance."

"D-destructive?"

"But whilst you are under my supervision, I feel sure that there is no danger in teaching you this type of magic," Dumbledore said. "After all, the time will come when you will need it. I'm sure of it."

"What is it?"

Dumbledore frowned for a second, as though deep in thought, and then said, "Legilimency."

* * *

The irony in Dumbledore wanting to teach Draco Legilimency, after Draco had used that very excuse as an alibi for Severus, was incredible. And yet, Draco found himself actually feeling quite nervous about this plan. Sure, Dumbledore trusted him enough to teach him this kind of dark magic, but Draco wasn't sure he trusted himself with it at all.

He didn't dare say this to Dumbledore however. He just nodded blankly and listened as Dumbledore went on about how imperative it was for Draco to tell him as soon as he started having thoughts about using Legilimency for other purposes, or, as he'd worded it, for "personal experiments". Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

"Now the first step in knowing Legilimency is understanding how the human mind works," said Dumbledore. "It is not simply a matter of point your wand and shoot the spell."

Draco nodded, throat too tight to speak. How on earth was he supposed to remain calm during this, when the corrosive thought of why the hell Dumbledore knew Legilimency in the first place, was haunting his mind? There was no reason that he could think of now, for Dumbledore to be learned in this type of dark magic...unless there were things about his past that Draco didn't know...he'd of course heard the story of how Dumbledore had once defeated the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. But what was the other side of that particular story?

By the end of the lesson, Draco had not taken in a single word of what Dumbledore had said about Legilimency. However, he _had_ managed to talk himself out of confronting Dumbledore tonight, which given the circumstances, was actually very hard to do.

When Draco returned to the common room after the lesson he found all 4 Marauders sound asleep in their beds, something that was definitely an unusual occurrence. But Draco himself was not tired and so he grabbed a book from his bedside table and crept back down the stairs.

The common room was fairly empty, with only a few students scattered here and there, silently reading or chitchatting about normal things. Most of the crowd tonight was made up of older students, between fifth and seventh year. But without the Marauders there, it was actually fairly quiet.

Draco sat in an armchair near one of the windows and flipped _Hogwarts: A History_ open to the last page he'd been on, where the book discussed on-grounds apparition.

 _"No witch or wizard to walk the halls of Hogwarts is capable of performing apparition, as the grounds are charmed to block all networks. The headmaster or headmistress is the only one that is an exception of that rule, for security purposes. However, students who turn of age whilst still at school are permitted to take apparition lessons beforehand. Instructors appear at the school to perform said lessons and at the end of the year there is an examination that occurs. Those who succeed are then able to perform apparition on their own time."_

Draco frowned. So the boys were all going to be turning seventeen this year, which meant that the apparition lessons would be coming very soon. Well, at least he had learned and mastered it back in his own timeline. This was one less thing to worry about. But his age...technically, he was already seventeen. But did that mean that when he left Hogwarts here, he would be able to perform magic without problems from the ministry?

Draco picked up a pen from the table nearest him and underlined the word 'apparition' in the book, before folding down the corner of the page. He would definitely have to remember to ask Dumbledore about this at their next meeting.

"Hey," said Mary, taking a seat on the armchair next to Draco's.

Draco started.

"What are you...?"

"I take it you didn't notice me sitting over there when you came in," she said, nodding at one of the couches on the other end of the common room. "What are you up to?"

Draco closed the book so that Mary could see its title.

"Ah," she said, her eyes on it. "So is it true that she's fairly close with Dumbledore?"

"Who?"

"Bathilda Bagshot," said Mary, nodding at the book once.

Draco looked down at it and then back up at her. "You've read it too then?"

Mary gave him a look. "Well of course I've read it. I think everyone who's in school now has read it."

Draco leaned forwards. "Why?"

"It's fairly new...and a bestseller," said Mary, confused.

"Oh," said Draco, leaning back again. "Right. Of course it is."

Mary smiled weakly. "It's only been around a couple of years now, but I heard she'd said in an interview that she'd planned on writing it for a long time."

"So what are you doing now?" said Draco, desperate to mask his confusion.

Mary held up a notebook and a thick book. "Overdue Charms homework."

"Need some help?"

"That's okay, you don't have to do that," said Mary, leaning against the armchair and closing her eyes. "I'll just get Lily to look it over after."

There was silence. Draco looked around the common room— _really looked this time_ —and finally saw the great number of _Hogwarts: A History_ copies that were scattered about the room. Every table seemed to have one lying around. He hadn't noticed it before. Maybe that's why Remus was always walking around with the book. Draco had started to wonder why the kid had never read it before. Granger was always boasting about it back in their first year, so if Mary was right, then the book had only just come out recently.

"Lily always helps you with homework, huh?" Draco said to Mary, whose eyes were still closed.

"Not _always_ ," she said, "But she's fairly good at it..."

"Does she always, like, study or something?"

Mary frowned. "Lily loves learning in general. She's not really a book nerd or anything. She just loves taking in new information. I've always admired that about her, but I personally don't fancy sitting around and reading all day long."

"Yeah."

"Why do you ask?"

Draco opened the book up again. "Just wondering...I've seen her helping you, Alice, even Frank...just wondered how come she knows enough to be able to help older students..."

"Well, that's Lily for you," sighed Mary. "I bet you know enough to help the older students too."

"Why?" said Draco, immediately.

Mary raised her eyebrows at him. "Weren't you raised by Dumbledore?"

"Oh right, yeah..."

Mary stared at him for a few long seconds and then reopened her homework and proceeded with it. Draco watched her from the corner of his eye, careful to flip the pages of his own book every few minutes to make it look like he was actually reading. There was something—he couldn't pinpoint it exactly—that reminded him of his mother. Maybe it was just the blonde hair. But Mary obviously had a kinder face. Somehow though, Draco felt really angry at Mulciber for playing that dirty trick on her, even if he hadn't been around to see it. He couldn't explain this protectiveness he felt over her or even over Alice or Lily.

Of course, he knew what Dumbledore would say if he came to him with this.

 _"You're starting to appreciate Gryffindor House, that's all."_

Yeah, right.

If his parents could see him now, they'd probably be sent straight to their graves.

The rest of the weekend was fairly calm. All James or Sirius could talk about now, it seemed, was Quidditch. The Quidditch match. Beating Ravenclaw.

Sirius started taking Draco out for mini flying lessons every night after classes. He didn't really call them lessons, but that's what they were, essentially. Draco didn't mind though. He liked spending time with Sirius and being up in the air, despite how awful the school broom that he'd borrowed was. Every day that they went out, he thought it would be the day he'd finally ask Sirius about his family and maybe get some answers too. But each time, Draco decided against it. He didn't want to ruin the mood by bringing it up. But he knew that eventually he'd have to.

As the week went by, Draco realized two important things, one of which was sort of sweet while the other was definitely unnerving. The rumours about him and Alice had grown ever so worse, making it impossible for him to concentrate on anything while he ate in the Great Hall. Alice however, seemed a little ticked off by these rumours too. Either that, or she felt bad about breaking up with Draco. Whatever the reason, on Thursday morning she marched up to a giggling group of fifth year girls sitting at the Gryffindor Table in the Great Hall, and said, "I broke up with Draco because he always wanted to snog me and my lips were already getting chapped." The girls all fell silent. "He's actually a fantastic kisser, I just felt really jealous because girls were all over him and I didn't have more time to spend with him."

"Yeah, right," laughed one of the girls. "And we're supposed to believe that?"

Alice shrugged. "Hey, believe whatever you'd like, but it's the truth." She glanced at Draco, sitting on the other end of the table, and then back at the girls. "He broke my heart."

And then, she marched back out of the Great Hall.

James let out a low whistle.

"Why, Mr. Black, you bad, bad boy," said Sirius.

Draco grinned. He had no idea why Alice had done that, but he would surely thank her later.

After that little trick, the rumours came to a halt almost at once. It was amazing how well that had worked.

The second, more unnerving thing that was bothering Draco, was Lily. She had stopped being annoying. In fact, she was less bossy now. Her looks weren't accusatory anymore. She was actually being very unusually kind, and something told Draco that he didn't like this at all.

"I know, James, but I'm really trying!" Peter was now saying. "Honestly!"

"Try harder, Pete, I know you can do it," said James.

"What are they talking about?" Draco whispered to Remus, but his question was answered by Sirius before Remus even realized Draco had asked it.

"We all believe you can do it," Sirius told Peter. "Well Draco still has yet to learn it but I'm sure you'll know it well by the time he even gets around to studying it."

"Studying what?" said Draco.

"Oh cut it out," said James. "Sirius already told us."

"Told you _what?_ " said Draco, impatiently.

"Told you that we all know how to do the Patronus Charm," said Sirius, rolling his eyes.

"But—"

"You know, you really should learn it sometime," said James.

Draco's eyes landed on Remus, who only gave him a slight shrug and then looked back down at his plate.

During Draco's free period on the following Monday afternoon, just five days before the opening Quidditch match, Draco made his way to the seventh floor corridor to meet up with Severus. He realized that it had been a while since they'd done that, and that perhaps Dumbledore was right when he'd said that Draco was neglecting Slytherin house altogether. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd talked to Regulus, not to even mention Severus. But when Draco reached the seventh floor corridor just opposite the entrance to the Room of Requirement, he was astounded to find that Severus was not sitting there, cross-legged with a book in his lap like always. In fact, Severus failed to show up even fifteen minutes after Draco had sat down to wait for him. It was only about half-way through the free period, when Draco had already decided to get some homework done, that Severus finally showed up.

"Where've you been?" Draco demanded as he sat next to him.

"Where have _I_ been?" said Severus. "Where have _you_ been all week?"

"Busy," said Draco.

"Same here," said Severus.

"Oh yeah, doing what?" said Draco.

Severus sighed. "Okay so I guess I can tell you." Draco waited. "Mulciber and the guys had this idea that we could all try out. We're basically gonna learn apparition on our own."

"You're _what?!"_

"Shhh!" hissed Severus. He looked around the corridor to make sure they were alone. "The lessons are supposed to start later this year anyway...and we're all gonna be seventeen by then so might as well get a head start n—"

"Sev, you can't!" Draco cried.

Again, Severus shushed him.

"You've...you've never done apparition before!" Draco whispered furiously. "You can't just up and teach it to yourself! It's not a joke!"

"Oh calm do—"

"NO, SEV!" hissed Draco. "I've read about it. Apparition can go terribly wrong if you're not careful and if you're not taught by a certified instructor. Ever heard of _splinching?!"_

"Will you calm the fuck down?!" Severus hissed. Draco started at how much he sounded like him. "Everything will be alright! This is a group effort, it's not like I'm going at this alone. Besides, it's all good fun."

"It's _not_ fun," Draco said.

He really didn't like the idea of Severus hanging around those boys who liked breaking the rules just for the fun of it. Yeah, the Marauders also did that, but _their_ rule-breaking wasn't dangerous. Most of the time.

Well it wasn't harming anyone. Most of the time.

Okay, so it was no different than what the Marauders did all the time. But somehow, Draco felt even more bothered by this than he did by the Marauders.

"So that's what you've been doing," he said. "You've been practicing apparition with your friends."

"Yeah," said Severus. "They're not really my friends though."

"Oh?"

"Nah, they're more like...acquaintances."

There was silence.

" _We're_ friends though, right?" said Draco.

Severus looked up at him.

"Yeah," he said, slowly, though he sounded very unsure of himself. "Yeah, we are."

"Good," said Draco.

On Wednesday morning, three days before the match, Draco and the Marauders woke early to have breakfast in the Great Hall. Only a few other students were already there. The entire morning, James and Sirius were fairly quiet, both of them eating like hungry wolves. Remus explained this as "pre-game jitters". Apparently, those two just needed a lot of time to themselves before a really big game...time to collect themselves, to gain focus, etc. Draco didn't really understand it, but then again, he'd never been that obsessed with Quidditch. He'd been more after the way it made him look in front of his teammates and his friends. The sport itself was never something he actually lost sleep over.

Students began to pour in to the Great Hall as the Marauders sat there, each of them concentrated on something different. When Lily and Mary arrived, both of them met Draco's eyes and smiled. But there was something very distinct there...something that got Draco more nervous than he'd been, probably in all of the last month and a half. The smile that Mary gave him and the smile that Lily gave him were very, _very_ different. Mary's smile was friendlier, kinder, and more genuine. It spoke to Draco. It told him that she was very grateful he'd shown her his scar to make her feel better. It told him that the two of them being friends would make her very happy.

Lily's smile, on the other hand, told Draco very different things. It was friendly, kind and genuine, sure. It was also flirtatious, obvious, and even suggestive. It was the kind of smile that girls practiced in front of their mirrors when they were alone. It was definitely not the kind of smile that they awarded their fathers or their brothers. And seeing that smile on Lily's face, directed at him, Draco, was very unsettling.

He gulped nervously as the two girls passed by and sat several seats away from him and the Marauders. Thankfully, James was too invested in that morning's Prophet to even notice the two girls. And Severus wasn't in the Great Hall yet. And Remus was also busy with the Prophet, so Draco was saved this once. Just this once. But if this continued to occur in the future...

After breakfast, Remus and Peter said goodbye to the boys, all of whom had a free period this morning. But since James and Sirius were in their own little bubbles this week, they opted for a quiet study period in the library, which Draco was perfectly fine with. He followed them there and together they occupied a little table in the corner where they got their books out and buried themselves in mountains of notes. Draco was pretty much ahead in all of his classes so he just got _Hogwarts: A History_ out again and examined the page where he'd left off, where it talked about the Legend of the Chamber of Secrets. He wondered now, as he examined the title plastered on the page, how James would've handled the situation that Harry Potter was placed in, back in second year. Something told Draco that not only would James have gone in to save that Weasley girl, but that he would've insisted that he go alone. James liked being the hero who can do things without help. Draco could easily sense that about him. Sirius however, was exactly the opposite. He liked the attention but he also liked having someone with him to enjoy it. Draco supposed that must be a reaction from whatever horrible things Sirius had gone through in his childhood. It had now extended to adult life, to the point where he didn't want to do anything alone. He always needed people by his side. This could work to his advantage...or it could ruin him.

Sirius noticed Draco watching him now and raised his eyebrows in question. Draco quickly shook his head and looked away. His eyes fell on Alice, whom he hadn't noticed was also sitting in the library. But sitting right next to her, to Draco's surprise, was Frank. He had his hand in hers, but the two were talking about something with very serious looks on their faces. It almost looked like Frank was assuring her of something...assuring her or comforting her. Either way, at least they were talking, and that was certainly something.

Draco's mind jumped back to Lily and he grew anxious again. Why the hell was she giving him looks like that now? What on earth had he done to make her stop hating him and go in the other direction completely? Well, that is, if he was even reading this right...It was certainly possible that he'd misread her smile. Oh who was he kidding, he was an expert at these sorts of things. That smile definitely meant what he thought it meant. But why was everything going crooked now? What was he doing wrong?

After their free period, the boys went to Charms only to find out that Peter had been sidelined by the actual stomach flu and was in the hospital wing now. So, during lunch, the boys all went straight there, only to be kicked out by Madame Pomfrey.

"He is highly contagious now!" she told them before slamming the door in their faces.

James sighed. "Might as well...we can't get sick this close to the match."

"Damn right we can't," said Sirius.

Remus didn't look too happy about leaving Peter in the hospital by himself, but only Draco seemed to notice.

"He'll be fine," he assured him as they made their way back to the Great Hall. "After all, he's Peter."

"My point exactly," said Remus.

"Hey," said Draco. "No judging, Moony!"

Remus laughed. "Yeah, you're right."

"So," said Draco, keeping his voice low so that James and Sirius, who were walking just ahead, wouldn't hear. "Why _didn't_ you tell them? About me and the Patronus?"

Remus was silent for a moment.

"I suppose I thought it was something you'd like to tell them yourself," he finally answered. "It's not my secret to tell, you know?"

"It's not really a secret," Draco muttered.

"Well nonetheless, it's none of my business," said Remus.

Draco frowned at him. He really was impressed with him. He was far more mature beyond his years...and definitely nothing like the rest of the Marauders. James and Sirius were still kids at heart, and Peter too...but Remus was already a man.

Later that day, Draco and Remus went ahead to their midnight Astronomy lesson without Peter. James and Sirius were too busy in their 'concentration bubbles' (or whatever they were called) to even notice the two boys leaving the common room. And suddenly, Draco realized that this was the first time in days that he had Remus all to himself. And when opportunity knocks...

"Look at the bright side of things," he said now, as the two walked along the corridors with their star charts under their arms. "At least you're not sick anymore."

"Yeah, I suppose," said Remus.

"You actually got better fairly quickly so maybe he will too," Draco went on.

He could hear Lily now, scolding him for breaking the promise that he'd made. Whatever.

"You know, I never did ask you what your mum was sick with," Draco said, conversationally.

"Oh it was just some virus," said Remus. "She's fine now."

"It's amazing how you both got better at the same time," said Draco. "Almost like it was a miracle or something."

"Sure," said Remus, turning the corner.

"It's amazing how you didn't catch her virus or she didn't catch your flu," Draco went on.

Remus stopped in the corridor to look at him.

"What are you saying, Draco?" he said.

"I'm just saying it's all amazing," said Draco, innocently. "Almost too coincidental for my taste, but..."

Remus narrowed his at Draco, but was silent for a long time. Draco was just starting to think that maybe it had been a mistake to mention any of it now, when Remus said, very quietly, "There is nothing wrong with coincidences."

"True," said Draco. "I don't mind coincidences." Remus' face relaxed. "However, I personally think that there is a very fine line between coincidence and truth."

"Meaning what?" said Remus, whose nervous energy Draco could now sense very clearly.

"Meaning that sometimes you just gotta have a little bit of faith in people, Moony," said Draco. "We're not all monsters. We don't all think the same. And people...they can surprise you."

And with these his final words, he led the way to the Astronomy Tower in silence.

The next day, both boys pretended that their little conversation from the night before hadn't happened at all. It was better not to mention it to the rest of the Marauders. Less drama that way. But still, Draco hoped that he'd gotten the message across...that Remus would soon realize that he _could_ in fact trust him.

Peter was released from the hospital wing around midday. Apparently, it had just been one of those 24-hour flu things. Feeling all better, he persuaded the boys to come with him to Hagrid's after class to thank him. Apparently, the giant had come to visit him with cauldron cakes or something like that. And even though Madame Pomfrey had forbidden Peter from even touching them, he was still very grateful. Draco of course excused himself from this visit to Hagrid's and went to the Great Hall instead. Several students were sitting there, chatting about day-to-day things or doing homework or playing Wizard's Chess. But the only person Draco was interested in seeing there was Regulus. Without hesitation, he walked right up to the Slytherin table, several heads turning as he went, and stopped just before Regulus, who looked up from the Daily Prophet.

"Oh, hey Draco," he said. "What's up?"

"Let's go for a walk," said Draco, nodding at the Great Hall Entrance.

Regulus instantly closed up the books surrounding him and packed them away. He then followed Draco out of the Great Hall, students' heads still turning as they went.

They ended up outside, in the somewhat chilly air beside the lake's shore.

"What's going on?" Regulus asked as they walked.

Draco shrugged. "We haven't spoken in a while, I just thought we'd catch up."

"Uh, sure," said Regulus. "What did you wanna talk about?"

"I dunno," said Draco. "Um...how are classes going?"

"Good," said Regulus.

"Just good?"

"Um...really good."

Draco laughed.

"Claybrook's class is obviously my favourite, but Slughorn's comes next."

"Oh yeah? You like Potions?"

"It's alright," Regulus shrugged.

"What are you thinking of pursuing?"

"I dunno yet, to be honest...we haven't had career advice appointments yet so I still have time to think about it."

Draco nodded.

"Have you started studying for the OWLs yet?"

"Yeah right," laughed Regulus.

Draco also laughed.

"Well what about that Cattermole girl?"

Regulus made a face. "What about her?"

"Who is she?" said Draco, trying to mask his interest in the subject.

"She's the Slytherin Prefect in my year," said Regulus.

"No," said Draco. "I meant, who is _she_ to _you?"_

"Waddaya mean?" exclaimed Regulus.

"Oh quit playing dumb with me," said Draco. "I saw the way you looked at her during Slughorn's dinner party. I have eyes, you know."

"Was it really that obvious?" Regulus said, quietly.

"I think the only person it wasn't obvious to was probably that Trelawney girl."

"Draco, don't tease!" said Regulus.

Draco only laughed again.

They walked along the shore's line some more and then stopped to sit on the sand.

"It's really chilly out here, we should head back," Regulus said, shivering.

"Soon," Draco promised. "I wanna enjoy the fresh air for a bit."

Actually, he just wanted to ask Regulus what he'd been dying to ask Sirius all this time. Maybe this Black would handle the question a little differently.

"Okay," said Regulus suddenly. "Out with it."

Draco frowned. "Out with what?"

"Whatever it is you really wanna ask me," said Regulus. "I know you didn't just pull me all the way out here to talk about school and girls, so spill."

Draco sighed.

"If I tried asking Sirius this, he'd probably come out here, dig a hole, and bury himself in it." Regulus waited. "So I'm gonna ask _you_...to...to tell me about your parents."

Regulus frowned. "What for?"

"I wanna know who they are," said Draco, truthfully. "I'm...I'm curious."

"But—"

"Oh will you just tell me?"

Regulus raised his eyebrows at Draco, but the frown was gone now. There were a few seconds of silence as he watched the water on the beach and Draco watched him. Then, Regulus began.

"My parents are Orion and Walburga Black. They are among the richest members of our family because lots of things have been passed down to them. Every kid in the Black family basically has this inheritance that awaits them. Sirius and I have one too...one for each of us, I mean. I'm pretty sure Kreacher is gonna be part of my inheritance."

It took Draco a minute to understand.

"The house elf," he finally said. Regulus nodded. "Why you?"

"I'm closest with him, I suppose," he answered. "Anyway, our parents always told us stories of our ancestors—they wanted us to know our family history well. I guess it was their way of making sure that we took after those who they admired the most."

"But Sirius was a disappointment, I imagine," Draco added.

Regulus nodded.

"He wasn't alone though."

"He wasn't?"

"No, our cousin Andy has also received a lot of hate from our family."

"Oh right," said Draco. "Yeah, Sirius has mentioned her once or twice."

"To this day, she's his favourite cousin. She graduated way before I even started at Hogwarts."

"Where is she now?"

"Who knows," Regulus shrugged. "Personally, I don't really know her well."

"What about Bellatrix?" said Draco.

Regulus looked at him.

"What's your relationship with her?" Draco clarified.

"I...she's my cousin..." Regulus said.

"I wasn't asking if you've _snogged_ her—I'm asking what you _think_ of her."

There was silence.

"I mean I like her," Regulus began. "She's actually pretty cool once you get to know her...and she's taught me a few spells...and she looks out for me."

"I only met her the one time and she seemed scary as hell," said Draco.

Regulus smiled weakly. "You just have to get to know her better, that's all."

Draco paused, his eyes on a large boulder nearby. "What about Narcissa?"

"Who, Bella's sister?" said Regulus.

"Yeah, what do you think of her?"

"I mean I don't really know her as well," Regulus admitted. "She seems a little more chill than Bella but Andy is the calmest of the three."

"Andy...?" said Draco.

"She's their oldest sister," said Regulus.

Draco's eyes widened. His mother had never, ever, _ever_ mentioned having another sister. What _else_ had she neglected to mention?! Jeez, his family was way more twisted than he'd thought.

"Go on," he said to Regulus now.

"Um," said Regulus. "Yeah, I only really know Bellatrix out of the three. Narcissa has only been around for dinner a few times and it was when I was much younger. I haven't seen her in ages."

"Wasn't she here at Hogwarts not that long ago?" said Draco.

"She graduated shortly after I started," said Regulus. He then frowned. "How did you even know who Narcissa was?"

Draco shrugged. "Your cousin must've told me during my interrogation that first week."

"Oh."

"Hey can I ask you something?" Regulus waited. "That day in the library...the first time I talked to you...why did you say you weren't supposed to be seen talking to me?"

"Oh...that..." said Regulus. "That was just...I mean, it..." he sighed, realizing there was no way out of this one. "That was just something stupid."

"Who told you to stay away from me?" Draco asked.

"Wilkes," Regulus whispered after a moment's silence.

"Who is Wilkes?"

"He's...he's that seventh year Slytherin...you know, that I—"

"—that you and the rest of your gang always follow around," Draco finished. "Yeah, I wanna meet this kid who tried to keep me away from my cousin."

"No, you don't," said Regulus, instantly. "I'm serious, Draco. This guy is not one you want to mess with."

" _I'm_ not one anyone wants to mess with," Draco corrected him, but Regulus only shook his head.

"Promise me you won't put up a fight with him. _Promise me, Draco!"_

"Alright, alright, I promise!" said Draco. Regulus' face relaxed slightly. Draco smirked at him. "I didn't know that you cared this much. I'm touched."

Regulus rolled his eyes at him.

The very next day, Draco arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast without the Marauders. He spotted what he'd come there early for, and then marched right up to the Slytherin table. He could see Regulus growing pale now as Draco stopped before the Slytherin gang. They all turned their heads to look up at him, and Severus frowned.

"Hello there," Draco said to the group at large.

"May we help you?" Crouch Junior asked, his eyes on his cereal bowl.

"I'm looking for Wilkes," said Draco, who saw at least two faces there that he didn't recognise.

His eyes landed on Severus, who mouthed at him, _"What are you doing?!"_ Draco only nodded at him and waited. One of the older-looking boys at the table cleared his throat.

"That is me," he said, with a voice of importance.

Draco looked him up and down. " _You're_ Wilkes?"

The boy's eyebrows raised slightly.

"That's right," he said. "And you are?"

"I'm Draco _Black_ ," said Draco. "And if I _ever_ hear that you forbid anyone from talking to me, I will scratch your eyes out."

Avery's, Rosier's, Junior's, Mulciber's, Regulus', and Severus' jaws all dropped. Instantly. But Draco's eyes were only on this Wilkes bloke, who was glaring at him now. Yet somehow, Draco did not feel a hint of fear.

"I mean it," he added.

And without waiting for a response, he left.

He didn't end up telling the Marauders about his short exchange with the Slytherin Gang leader that morning. Draco had already decided for himself that they didn't need to know about that. But Regulus wasn't taking it as lightly. He confronted Draco about it the next day during Draco's free period. Regulus had excused himself from class to go to the washroom but he found Draco in the Great Hall and marched up to him furiously.

"Why did you do it?!" he hissed.

"To prove a point," Draco told him.

"Yeah, to get me into trouble!" Regulus cried. "He knows now that I told you—"

"And just let him _try_ doing something to you," said Draco. "Look, I needed to get the message across, loud and clear."

"What message?"

"That I am not afraid of anyone," Draco said, simply. "And now that your pal Wilkes knows that, he won't try anything." He paused. "You really should find yourself some new friends, Reg."

But Regulus only gaped at him.

* * *

"What are you lot still doing up?" Draco asked once he'd returned to the common room Friday night from a very long study session at the library, and found the Marauders in their usual spot by the fireplace.

"Too excited to sleep, man," said James, who looked rather pleased.

"Tomorrow's gonna be a good day," said Peter.

"And if it's not," said Remus, "You boys won't go into full-on depression mode, will you? It's only the opening match."

"You bet your studious arse we will," said Sirius. "You said it yourself, Moony. It's the _opening match_. Everyone always remembers the opening match and the closing match. No one cares what happens in between."

"That's true," said Draco, sitting down. "You guys will come to watch, right?"

"Yeah of course!" said Remus. "Peter and I always sit at the very front."

"Yeah and this time, you guys have _three_ people to cheer on," said Sirius.

"Don't forget about Frank," said James, defensively.

"I didn't forget Frank!" said Sirius.

"We're there to cheer on the _whole_ team," said Remus.

Draco's eyes landed on the yellow form on the coffee table and he frowned. Noticing, Peter picked it up and held it for him to see.

"First Hogsmeade visit of the year," he said. "You're gonna love it there."

"Yeah, Draco's never been," said Sirius, "We'll have to show him around."

He winked at Draco and James laughed.

"Well _this time_ , you'll actually get to really see the place," Remus told Draco.

"Yeah, instead of the tunnels that lead to it," said Sirius.

"Right," said Draco. "When's the visit?"

"Sunday," said Remus. "So day after tomorrow. Will you...uh, I mean do you have some kind of permission to visit?"

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "His guardian is headmaster of this fricking school. Of _course_ he has permission."

"Well I don't know what kind of arrangement they have between the two of them!" Remus defended. "And neither do you, Sirius."

"Guys," said Peter, but no one heard him.

"Honestly, you're supposed to be smart, Moony!" cried Sirius.

"And you're supposed to be cool, Padfoot, but I guess that ship has sailed."

Sirius' jaw dropped, but Remus and Peter only laughed. James sighed happily and leaned back against the couch again.

"It's gonna be a really good day," he said.

"I'm _still_ cool, OKAY?" said Sirius, glaring at Remus.

Draco laughed. His friends were so wonderfully weird, that he couldn't believe he'd actually gone all this time without knowing them.

* * *

 **Fun fact** **for you all...if you go back on previous chapters, you'll notice that all the characters' school schedules are always constant and correct. Every day of the week has been worked out for each of the Marauders, Draco, Sev and Lily. Yep. We went that far. So if you're worried that we're neglecting some details, don't be. We LITERALLY worked everything down to the last detail.**

 **Just go and marvel over that awesome fact while you wait for the update, which should be ready within the next week or so... and don't forget to review!**


	16. Loyalty

**AN : Once again, thanking all our wonderful readers. You guys are amazing and we appreciate each and every single review.**

 **Hope this one will get some love too...**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 16: LOYALTY

On the morning of the match, Draco awoke to the sound of panicked shuffling about the dormitory. Once he sat up and rubbed his eyes open he finally realized what the noise was all about. James was jumping around the room, releasing a golden snitch and then snatching it just as it began to get away.

"Morning," he said without looking at Draco.

"What are you...?"

"That's his pre-game ritual," Sirius explained, letting out a long yawn.

Peter's and Remus' beds were empty.

"Where's...?"

"They're already downstairs," said Sirius, tiredly.

James flipped over on the chair in the back of the room, caught the snitch and then collapsed back on his bed.

"Where'd you get that?" Draco asked him.

"Nicked it," said James, simply. He sighed. "I can't wait to get in the air."

Draco groaned. He'd been flying with Sirius every night for over a week now, but some part of him was still nervous that he'd perform poorly today and that James would hate him for it for the rest of time.

"What day is it?" Draco asked softly.

"Saturday," said Remus, who'd appeared at the door. "So try not to get yourself killed out there today because you have a lesson with Headmaster Dumbledore tonight."

"Oh shit," said James. "Yeah, you'd best be careful."

"You care?" Draco asked him, cocking an eyebrow.

"Sure I do," said James. "If you die today, Dumbledore will cancel Quidditch. And we can't have that."

"Noooo," said Draco, getting up from bed. "That would be _horrific!"_

Peter, who'd joined Remus at the door, let out a laugh.

The boys dressed silently and went downstairs. Most of the Gryffindors were still asleep, by the looks of it. And now that Draco saw what kind of light was coming in from the windows, he understood why. It couldn't be later than 6am.

Naturally, the boys were the first to arrive for breakfast, but it wasn't long before more life showed up at the Great Hall. James decided to skip his morning observation of the Prophet and went straight for the food. Sirius did the same. Draco watched the pair of them with fascination, wondering exactly how they would go about killing him if he messed up during today's match.

As they ate, Sirius bullied Peter into spreading jam on his toast for him, while Remus scolded the boys for their obsession.

"...just remember that it's _only a game,"_ he kept repeating. "It's _only_ a game."

James and Sirius nodded absentmindedly, their eyes on their food as they continued to eat. Draco smirked.

After breakfast, everyone began to head out towards the Quidditch pitch. James, who was already in his Quidditch robes, led the way into the change rooms.

"Good luck!" Remus and Peter shouted after him, Draco and Sirius.

Once in the change rooms, Draco felt a wave of nervous energy overwhelm him. The team dressed silently and then took their seats and waited. James was locked up in the captain's office, probably pacing.

After several more silent moments, Sirius stood up, crossed the room and knocked on the office door four times. It opened a split second later to reveal James with a clipboard and pen in hand. Sirius took his spot again and James stood before the team, all of them watching their feet.

"Today is the beginning of the rest of the year," he announced. "You see that crowd outside? They won't remember who wins next week's game. They won't care who comes in second during the semi-finals. They'll care about today's game, and they'll care about the final in June." James took a step forward and Draco lifted his head to look at him, only to find that he wasn't the only one to do so.

"And you can bet your scarlet and gold arses that we will be at that final," James concluded.

"YEAH!" cried Sirius, and Frank then led the team in a chant.

The crowd outside suddenly grew louder, indicating that the Ravenclaws must've stepped out onto the field. James grew serious again and the team quieted down.

"Come on guys," he said. "Let's go make Godric proud."

They clapped their hands and got to their feet. James lined them up in order of position, moving himself and Sirius up to the front, and collectively they mounted their brooms.

Draco waited patiently for James' cue. Beside him, that third year Jarine Atrenus was shaking slightly.

"You okay?" Draco asked him.

Atrenus nodded without looking at him.

"This your first match then?" Draco concluded.

Again, the boy nodded.

"Hey," said Draco. The boy looked up at him. "When you're up there, just keep your eyes on the quaffles. Forget everything else."

"Yeah and if you get lost, that's why there's three of us," said Davey Gudgeon, the seventh year chaser.

Draco nodded vaguely and then looked at Atrenus again.

"You're small," he pointed out. "Use it to your advantage. They won't expect you to know anything. But I saw your trial. You can fly." Atrenus met his eyes. "Surprise them."

"Okay," the boy answered.

The doors to the change room suddenly opened, exploding Draco's eardrumbs with noise and loud cheer, and the Gryffindor team flew out to greet its fans. Draco was completely taken aback by the sight of the large red banner draping most of the crowd, with the golden lion on the front sparkling in the sun.

The cool morning air and clear blue sky was perfect for flying today. Draco made several loops around the goal posts, to the tune of the Gryffindors' cheers, and then positioned himself center-field. He watched the tiny dot that was James making its way across the field to where the Ravenclaw captain was standing. They shook their hands, and then they were up in the air too.

Draco stared out ahead, listening to the crowd's deafening cheers, watching the red banner move smoothly atop the students' heads...all his life, he'd played to the tune of a completely different cheer, sung by completely different people in completely different colours. Yet why was this so easy to get used to?

The sound of the whistle blowing snapped Draco back into the game, and before he knew it, he was speeding through the air with a quaffle under his arm.

Draco had no idea what had gotten into him, but the second the whistle blew, he went ballistic. He flew right and left and up and down and diagonally and slantways and any other way you could possibly think of. He looped around players, twisted and turned, and then, in a rush of adrenaline, threw the quaffle in the air and kicked it with his broom in a perfect Finbourgh Flick, landing the quaffle straight through one of the Ravenclaws' goal hoops.

The crowd down below boomed with loud cheers and somewhere in the distance, Draco heard Sirius yell, "YEAH BLACK!"

Pleased with himself, he sped through the pitch in search of another quaffle. Gudgeon had one but before Draco could reach him, some brunette Ravenclaw chaser snatched it from behind him in a Speelman Steal and sped the other way. Draco chased after her.

Aware of her shadow, she began to make loops and twists and turns, in an attempt to confuse him. But every move that she made, Draco mirrored. Once they'd finally reached the goal hoop that Sirius was defending, the girl threw the quaffle and he caught it at once. Laughing, he tossed it to Draco and Draco winked at the girl before speeding in the opposite direction. He flew away from a chaser, dodged a bludger, and zig-zagged around another two chasers until he reached the goal hoops and threw the quaffle in. Again, the crowd exploded with cheers and someone announced that Gryffindor was leading 20 to 0.

For the rest of the game, Draco repeated the same moves, occasionally throwing in a Dionysus Dive to really impress the crowd (as well as his fellow teammates). He occasionally flew by his own goal hoops to high-five Sirius, who was Double-Eight-Looping like his life depended on it. Draco was so consumed with the game that at one point, Sirius flew near him and shouted "Hey, if you don't stop with all these foreign moves, you'd better be prepared to answer where the hell you learned them from 'cause that's the first question they'll ask once we hit the ground!"

Draco looked at him worriedly, but Sirius only nodded and flew back to his hoops. Having lost track of where he was and which team he was playing for, Draco toned it down a bit and resorted to simply reverse passing for the rest of the game. This of course had its consequences as the Ravenclaws began to score too. At one point it got so tense, with Gryffindor leading only by ten, that Draco decided to forget everything and throw his game back on. And in no time at all, Gryffindor was leading by 50.

Flying by Atrenus, Draco shouted, "YOU OKAY?"

"YEAH!" Atrenus shouted back.

Draco grabbed a quaffle from a passing Ravenclaw and tossed it to Atrenus, who caught it by a lucky chance.

"HERE, FOLLOW ME!" Draco shouted.

Atrenus nodded and began to fly after Draco. Draco started off calm and then began to zigzag. Once he'd spotted a couple of Ravenclaws flying just behind Atrenus, he shouted "KEEP GOING!" and sped in the other direction to tick them off. The two players had of course not seen it coming and so they flew in opposite directions, giving Atrenus a clear shot into the hoops. And a beautiful shot, it was. Wheeling back around, Atrenus beamed at Draco and Draco smiled back.

Then, finally, he heard the blow of the whistle and looked up to see James hovering over the goal hoops with his hand stretched out in the air, clutching the golden snitch.

The crowd began to scream at the top of their lungs, "GRYFFINDOR WIN, WIN! GRYFFINDOR WIN, WIN! GRYFFINDOR WIN, WIN!"

Draco followed the players down to the ground and everyone ran to high-five James. He then shook hands with the Ravenclaw captain again and let Sirius, Frank and Gudgeon pick him up into the air. Draco laughed as he watched them parade around the pitch. His smile instantly faltered though once he saw Dumbledore, McGonagall, and several other teachers walking towards them.

The stadium grew silent.

"What's goin' on?" Frank whispered behind Draco, dropping James to his feet.

Draco looked nervously at James and then at Sirius.

"Mr. Black," said Claybrook, once the teachers had all stopped walking.

"Yeah?" said Draco, slowly, his broom lowering so that it touched the ground and he could lean on it for support, in case his legs gave away.

"We were all very impressed with your flying today," Claybrook said. "I'm sure we'd be fascinated to hear where you learned to fly like that."

"Um," said Draco, looking around at his teammates and at the Ravenclaws behind them. "I just...I mean I..."

"Surely you can understand our surprise when you began performing tricks and tactics that no one's ever even heard of," McGonagall said.

What the hell was she doing?! Didn't she understand that he'd just won a game for _her_ bloody team?

"I..." said Draco, looking at Dumbledore, apologetically but desperately.

Dumbledore gave him a long look, and then cleared his throat.

"But who said anything about these moves not being invented yet, Ajax?" he finally said.

Claybrook turned to look at him.

"These moves are fairly popular in the Netherlands."

Claybrook raised an eyebrow.

"The Netherlands, Albus?" said McGonagall.

"Certainly," said Dumbledore, who now moved to stand beside Draco and addressed the group at large. "When Mr. Black here was younger, I enrolled him in an overseas Quidditch tournament for youth."

Draco swallowed.

"It was my way of slowly introducing him to the wizarding community," Dumbledore went on, now placing a hand on Draco's shoulder and squeezing gently. "I myself am impressed that he even remembered anything from the tournament, since it was so long ago."

"Well," said McGonagall, her eyes round with shock but a smile on her face. "It was certainly a marvelous performance, Mr. Black."

Draco smiled weakly.

"Now," said Dumbledore, pleasantly. "Why don't we let the team go and get changed?" Draco turned slowly to look at him and Dumbledore met his eyes. "I'm sure they'll be wanting to celebrate their victory."

* * *

"I don't understand why you won't go with the yellow one...you've been with the yellow one since the very beginning but now suddenly you're an orange kind of man?"

Sirius frowned at James, then held up the orange bean in his hand. "I hate the yellow. I loathe the yellow. The yellow is dead to me. My loyalties now lie with the orange."

"A bit harsh, don't you think?" said James.

"Lucky for me, I don't forge longlasting partnerships," shrugged Sirius.

"Oh for crying out loud!" hissed Remus, moving to stand between the two. "Will you both just pick a bloody box so we can go already?!"

James and Sirius started.

"We've only gone through half the boxes on this shelf," said Sirius, innocently.

"And you won't even get to the other half," said Remus. "Not if I have to say anything about it."

"Oh come on, Moony," said James. "We just have to figure out which box has more orange or yellow beans, that's all."

The boys turned to Draco for approval, but he only leaned against the sugar-coated apples rack and sighed deeply. They had been in the shop for a good forty minutes and had not even taken five steps inside.

"I'm hungry," said Peter. "We're gonna have to go back to the school soon. Can't we just go get food?"

"He's right," Draco whined. "Just pick a box, guys!"

James and Sirius looked at each other, grinned, and then selected two boxes and proceeded to the back of the shop to pay for them.

Once the boys finally left Honeydukes Cellar, James and Sirius were already arguing and tossing yellow and orange beans into each other's Bertie Botts boxes.

"Okay so just one more stop then," said Remus, who was leading the boys across the street to the Three Broomsticks.

"Draco's already been here though," said Peter.

They went in and found a large booth table at the back. Sirius took care of their orders while James stole all the orange beans from his box before he could get to them. Once Madame Rosmerta had left their table, Sirius sat back with his hands behind his head and smiled.

"What are you so happy about?" Draco asked him.

"What's there not to be happy about?" he said. "We had an amazing win yesterday and we're in Hogsmeade today. I'd say it's been a pretty good weekend."

"Indeed," said James. His eyes landed on Draco. "So...youth tournament in the Netherlands, huh?"

"Yep," said Draco, taking a sip of butterbeer.

"Why didn't you tell us about it?" James asked.

Draco shrugged. "I haven't thought about it for years...and plus it never came up, really."

The boys nodded.

"It must be wicked cool to play abroad," Sirius finally said.

"Is that something you'd wanna do?" Draco asked him.

"Oh yeah," James answered, sitting back against his chair. "Sirius has dreamt of playing professional Quidditch since our first day at Hogwarts."

Sirius smiled in response, but Draco's eyes landed on Peter. Perhaps it was best not to tell his friends that the most Quidditch Sirius would get to play would be behind the walls in Azkaban, with dementors.

"...I just think you need to start letting it go," Remus was now telling James.

"Drop it, Moony," James was saying. He looked annoyed.

"James, if she wants to talk to you, she will," Remus said. "Don't force her."

James only shook his head. Draco smiled at him sadly. He was in pain. He could tell. Everyday that Lily walked the castle's corridors and talked to some other boy, James was in pain.

"You don't wanna be a stalker like Snivellus," Sirius added.

"Indeed," said Draco, now smirking.

Sirius gave him a nervous smile. "What?"

The boys all looked up at him, but Draco only continued smiling.

"Whaaaat?" said Sirius, looking excited now.

Draco leaned forwards.

"I've thought of our next prank," he announced. "And it involves breaking into the girls' bathroom on the third floor."

James' eyebrows shot up.

* * *

The Marauders were suddenly very excited about having lunch. Draco had chosen the perfect time to tell them what his genius prank idea was. He himself was impressed with how he'd come up with it. It was harmless, entertaining, and oh so cool.

"Oy!" Sirius said, snapping his fingers in front of Draco's face to get his attention.

"What?" he said.

"I said, we're sharing the next pie. You may not be playing in the next game, but I still need to stay in shape."

"Wait, so you really don't want to join in full time?" James asked Draco. "Cause if you do, I'd gladly kick Cresswell out."

"Nah," said Draco. "I don't have time for Quidditch."

James closed his eyes as though he was in pain and Sirius flinched slightly, but Remus continued to stare out the window. Draco sighed. If he was going to have any chance at finding out what this was about, he'd have to do a lot of snooping. After all, it couldn't be the moodswings again. The next full moon was a good two weekends away.

"Hey Moony," said Draco. Remus' head snapped up instantly. "You doing okay? You know, after your flu and all..."

"Fine," said Remus.

Draco smiled. "You're as good as new."

"Yep," said Remus, ignoring the hidden meaning behind Draco's words. "So how do you like Hogsmeade?"

The boys all looked up at Draco.

"It's nice," he answered. "You know, as nice as a village near school can be..."

"At least now you know your way around," said James.

"Yeah and in daylight too," Sirius added, grinning.

Draco grinned back. It was true. He _had_ learned his way around Hogsmeade. He now knew all the various secret passageways that he could use to get there. Who would've thought that the four founders, who were the most powerful wizards of their age, would build a school with so many flaws and holes?

"What was your favourite shop?" Peter asked.

"Uh," said Draco, "Probably Zonko's."

"Yeeeaaaah!" howled Sirius, high-fiving him and then James.

Draco laughed at his friend, but then his eyes wandered to the two people sitting three booths behind them. Alice and Frank. They were holding hands again, and again their facial expressions were serious.

James' eyes followed Draco's, and then they looked at each other.

"You wanna talk about it?" he said to him in a low voice so that the others wouldn't hear.

Draco shook his head. James had been increasingly nice to him since the breakup, and he strongly suspected that the kid felt guilty for how jealous he'd acted about Lily. But it was true. Draco didn't want to talk about it.

Admittedly, he'd never expected to have a relationship in this timeline, or even better, to get dumped. Actually just thinking about it made him feel numb to the point where he excused himself from the table and went out of the bar to get some air. The boys were just finishing up their food but he'd insisted they stay behind.

Though it was a relatively cool day, Draco could see many Hogwarts students running from shop to shop in a hurry to get all their things done. He leaned against the wall of the Three Broomsticks and put his hands in his pockets to stop from shivering. The air inside really was stuffy. Or maybe he was just feeling rundown from yesterday's match. He couldn't help it though. Whenever James was involved, he got so competitive. Though, it was a different kind of competitive, not like what he'd had with his son. Looking back on all that now, he felt almost silly for how he'd acted all those years. At the end of the day, what does it matter who won which match and who got more house points? People were now dying on a daily basis. Death eater attacks were becoming more frequent and their numbers were growing by the minute too. It really didn't matter what went on at Hogwarts, because at the end of the day, it was just another school.

"Draco?" said a voice near him.

His eyes flew open and he bit back a groan. Lily was standing before him with a smile on her face and shopping bags in both her hands. A Gryffindor scarf was wrapped around her neck.

"Hi!" she said as Draco eyed her. "What are you doing out here?"

"Standing," he said. "What are you doing out here?"

She lifted her bags. "Shopping. So what do you think of Hogsmeade?"

"It's splendid."

"Did the boys take you out on a tour?"

"Yep."

"Did you buy anything?"

"Nope."

"Well are you gonna?"

"Nope."

Suddenly, Lily's smile faltered. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Draco asked.

"Well because you're being all..'one-worded' again," she said.

"I'm being _what?"_

"And I thought we were past this."

Draco moved away from the wall. "Look Lily, just because we had a...moment...in the Forbidden Forest the other night doesn't mean we're suddenly gonna be best pals. Nothing's changed, except maybe that we have an understanding now...about Remus."

"But why can't we?"

"Why can't we what?"

"Be best pals," said Lily, her eyes sad.

Draco opened his mouth but nothing came out. Indeed, what was the answer to that question?

"Why does it have to be this way?" Lily asked, watching him. "I mean, why can't we just...hang out?"

"Because we can't," he breathed.

Before she could answer however, the door to the Three Broomsticks opened and Remus came out, looking flustered.

"Those damn gits—Oh, hi Lily," he said. His eyes lingered over Draco and then back to Lily. "Uh, have you come here to get some lunch? Do you want to join us?"

"Actually, I already ate," Lily told him. Her eyes shifted slightly in Draco's direction so he looked away from her. "But thanks for the offer."

"That's too bad, let's go, Remus," said Draco, pulling his friend back into the pub. Remus waved goodbye to Lily and let Draco drag him in. Once the door was closed, he freed his hand from Draco's grip.

"What are you playing at?" he asked. "Did she say something to you?"

"No," Draco answered simply. He then moved back to the table where the boys were already getting up from their seats and zipping their coats.

"Where are you guys going?" he asked them.

"Frank wants to talk to us," James told him. Draco glanced at the table where Alice and Frank were sitting before, but they were both gone now.

"All of us?" Remus asked.

"Nah, just me and Jamesy," said Sirius. "But we'll find you guys later, okay?"

The two left the shop together, their heads bent.

"Those two are up to something," Remus said, his eyes narrowed as he stared after them.

"So what should we do?" Peter asked.

"We could go back to the castle, I suppose," said Remus.

"Actually," said Draco once they'd reached the pub door. "You guys go. I have to...I mean I want to go back to a couple of...uh, I'll just see you guys later, okay?"

"You sure?" said Remus, who was bundling up.

"Yeah," said Draco. "I'll see you soon."

"Okay, bye!" Peter called after him once he and Remus started back down the path to the castle.

Draco waved them off and then turned around and walked quickly to Honeydukes Cellar. He couldn't buy anything there before because then the boys would've started asking him questions. He looked around the shop to be sure that no one who knew him directly was there. Then, he moved to one of the shelves in the corner and picked out a purple-wrapped package of cauldron cakes with a small purple card attached to the wrapping.

Draco pulled out a pen he'd nicked from the Gryffindor common room the previous night and scribbled on the card. And then, he stopped. Was he right in doing this?

 **xxxxxxxxxx**

"Take it," said Dumbledore, urging the small sack of gold into Draco's hands.

"I...I can't," he said.

"Yes, you can," said Dumbledore. "You need this and I am giving it to you."

"It doesn't feel right though," Draco mumbled. "I mean what'll everybody say? It's favouritism, professor."

"With all due respect, Draco, that's a rather dim statement coming from you," said Dumbledore. Draco tore his eyes away from the money pouch in his hands to the old man smiling at him from behind the desk. "Take it."

Draco nodded and pocketed the money pouch without another word. He felt so incredibly guilty, especially after how he'd played that morning and how Dumbledore had had to cover up for him in front of all the teachers. But for some bizarre reason, Dumbledore hadn't said a word about it since Draco had arrived in his office. Really, what was he thinking?

"Spend it wisely?" he told him now.

Again, Draco nodded.

"So I'm all clear to go to the village tomorrow then?" he asked, quietly.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "I don't see why not. Now, about these nightmares you've been having..."

Draco cringed. He still didn't know whether telling Dumbledore had been the right decision. But he did know that not doing anything was also not an option. The nightmares were getting worse and all the more difficult to control. He could feel it.

Dumbledore pulled out another package, this time wrapped in white and even smaller than the money pouch. He handed it to Draco who unwrapped it curiously. Inside were what looked like several miniature bottles filled with purple liquids. Draco looked up, confused.

"These will give you dreamless sleep," Dumbledore explained. "But I advise you only consume one a week."

"So the other six nights I'll still have the nightmares?"

The words were out before he could stop himself. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry, professor," Draco mumbled. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful."

"That's quite alright, Draco," said Dumbledore. "It's perfectly understandable. And after all, you've had a long day too." He paused. "240 to 80...I'm impressed."

Draco smiled.

"Now," said Dumbledore, leaning forward and placing both arms on the desk. "Let's talk Legilimency."

 **xxxxxxxxxx**

After Honeydukes, Draco decided to pay a visit to Zonko's, this time without the chaotic excitement of the Marauders. But when he got there, he was in for a surprise. Severus and Regulus were standing in some corner with their backs to him, discussing something that they were holding in their hands. And what really set Draco on edge was that they didn't look like they wanted to be spotted there. Draco had just started to make his way over to them when his path was blocked by a tall figure with a round belly.

"Ah, Draco my boy, how are you doing?" said Slughorn, beaming down at him.

Panicked, Draco looked over his shoulder at Severus and Regulus, but thankfully they hadn't heard him. He breathed.

"You know, that was some impressive flying you did yesterday," Slughorn was now saying. "Well, of course I'm not surprised, coming from you. The Blacks have a long history of excelling at Quidditch."

"They do?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"I would know," said Slughorn, proudly. "I've taught all the Blacks. Each and every one."

"That's nice," Draco said, still distracted by what was going on at the back of the shop.

Severus' head was bent as he examined whatever was in his hand and Regulus kept shifting uncomfortably on his feet...kind of like he was nervous about something.

"...and then, mind you, I told him that that's why you need to have Caritone Beans when you're doing an experiment like that!" laughed Slughorn.

Draco looked up at him again and smiled. "You're absolutely right, professor. Would you excuse me though? I have to go talk to my, uh, cousin."

At these words, Regulus spun on his feet. Slughorn looked back and smiled again.

"Talk away then, boys!" he said, loudly so that the whole shop heard him. "I will see you all in class."

Draco waved him off and then hurried quickly to Severus and Regulus, both of whom had their hands behind their backs now.

"Oh hey," said Severus. He looked around the shop. "Where are your Gryffindor pals?"

"Somewhere," said Draco. "What are you guys doing?"

"Just browsing," said Severus. Regulus nodded.

"Right," said Draco. "What's behind your back?"

"It's just junk we thought we were gonna buy," said Severus. "Hey why don't you go put it back on the shelf, Regulus?"

"Um, because I didn't ask him to, Severus," said Draco.

Regulus remained rooted to the spot. Draco looked at him with vicious eyes.

"What's behind your back?" he repeated, this time more quietly but with a serious tone.

Regulus bit his lip nervously and looked at Severus, who only nodded. Then, Regulus pulled out the objects and gave them to Draco to examine. Draco stared at his palm for a good couple of minutes before looking up at the pair of them.

"What is this?" he asked, holding up the little vile with the crimson-coloured liquid in one hand, and the vile with the periwinkle blue liquid in the other hand.

"Shhh!" cried Severus.

They looked around the barely crowded shop and then moved further into the corner.

"Are you guys taking some kind of inducements?" Draco hissed.

"What?!" cried Severus. "No, of course not!"

"Well then what _the hell_ is this?!" Draco shot at him.

Regulus grabbed both the bottles from Draco's hands and hid them quickly. Severus looked over Draco's shoulder to make sure they weren't being watched.

"Look Draco, you have to trust me," Severus began. "When you threatened Wilkes like that, obviously he wasn't gonna let it drop. Did you really expect him to?"

"He was furious that you'd had the nerve," Regulus added. "So he called a meeting that same night..."

"And assigned Regulus a new job," Severus said, through gritted teeth.

Draco looked from one to the other, and then he understood. His eyes landed on Regulus.

"Were you actually gonna do it?" he whispered. "Were you really gonna go through with it?"

"He had no choice, Draco," Severus explained. "Wilkes is watching his every movement. If he doesn't do as he is told, he could have some serious problems in Slytherin house...and, might I add, at home too."

Regulus flinched.

"Why are there two?" Draco asked, who couldn't believe his ears. The _nerve_ of this Wilkes bloke! If he got his hands on him...

"Well he wasn't actually gonna give you Bloodroot, Draco. Are you mad?" said Severus now.

Regulus looked away from Draco, ashamed.

"I pulled him aside later that night and we came up with this plan," Severus went on. "We were gonna give you an Alihotsy Draught instead. It would just make you really hyper for a few hours. I figured it'd be our best bet to make Wilkes think that the Bloodroot was outdated or something, so that instead of poisoning you, it just gave you hysteria."

"I'm _really_ sorry, Draco," Regulus whispered, finally looking up at him. "I _swear_ , I never thought he'd want me to poison my own cousin."

"Yeah, neither did I," Draco mumbled. "So why were you guys in here then?"

"Figured it was the safest place to meet since Wilkes and the guys never come in here," Severus said. "We were just trying to figure out how to make the potions the same colour so that Wilkes wouldn't know there were two—"

"—but also so that we wouldn't accidentally give you the Bloodroot," Regulus added quickly.

"Look Draco," said Severus, his voice even lower now. "We'd never actually poison you. You know that."

"Do I?" said Draco, who still couldn't believe his ears.

The boys frowned.

"Of course!" Regulus hissed. "I would never! That's...that's why I _begged_ Sev to help me!"

"Draco," Severus said, urging him to look at him. He did. "You know you can trust me."

"How do I know that if you're willing to throw me under the bus just to impress your precious Wilkes?"

"Because you know Legilimency," Severus whispered even more quietly.

" _You do?!_ " hissed Regulus, but the boys ignored him.

"You know you can look inside my brain and find out if I'm lying or not," Severus went on.

"True," said Draco. "I know Legilimency. But according to your records, so do you. And there is nothing stopping you from bringing false images to the surface."

But Severus shook his head. "I'm not at that level yet...to be able to bring forth false images."

"Yet, huh?" said Draco. "So you're not at the dangerous level yet. Just headed there. Nice, Sev."

"I—"

"I wonder what Lily would say about your little plan," Draco shot at him.

Severus frowned.

"What's _Lily_ got to do with this?"

There was a pause.

"N-nothing," said Draco. "I just...I can't believe the nerve of this Wilkes."

"I _told_ you it wasn't a good idea to threaten him like that," Regulus hissed in a desperate voice.

Draco sighed.

"Okay so what are you gonna do?" he asked him. "I mean, he's obviously expecting you to go through with this so if I'm still alive in...when did he want you to do this?"

Regulus swallowed.

"Tonight," Severus answered.

"Ah," said Draco in an attempted casual voice. "So what are gonna do about it then?"

"Nothing," Regulus admitted. "What are _you_ gonna do about it?"

Draco eyed him for several moments, feeling quite disturbed by the desperate look on Regulus' face now.

"Nothing," he lied. "We can just forget about this whole thing."

Regulus breathed. "Thank you."

"Yeah," said Draco.

There was another pause.

"Come on, let's just get rid of them now and go back to the castle or something," said Severus.

Draco nodded. Regulus handed the two bottles to Severus and he disposed of them quickly. Then, the three exited the shop and headed down the path out of the village like nothing had happened. Little did the boys know that a war was now raging inside Draco. As they made their way back to the castle, he thought...how to convince Dumbledore to let him murder a student?

* * *

 **Merci beaucoup.**


	17. A Lot of If's

**AN : NOT a special, but enjoy..**

 **Also, we updated TWO chapters today so be sure to read 16 first!**

* * *

CHAPTER 17: A LOT OF IF'S

 _And meanwhile, back in the Gryffindor common room..._

* * *

"Well?" said James, who was watching the boy in front of him intently.

Remus was standing with his back to the fireplace, facing his three best friends with an estranged expression.

"This was _your_ emergency call, Moony," Sirius reminded him.

Remus nodded his understanding, but he could not yet find the words. Peter watched him with concern, waiting.

"Moony, what's going on?" Sirius asked, this time without a grin on his face.

Remus sighed.

"I think," he said, looking at each one of his friends, "I think we might have to tell Draco about my condition."

"No shit, Sherlock," said Sirius.

Remus frowned at him.

"What...?"

"We've been trying to get you to come around to the idea for like two months now," Sirius explained.

"But ultimately we decided it was your choice entirely," James said, giving Sirius a warning look.

Sirius shrugged and then nodded once at Remus. Remus stared at his friends.

"You...you guys all agree?"

"YE-AH!" they cried in unison.

"And you don't doubt him for a second?"

"You do?" said James, confused. He'd reckoned Remus was the only one among them who'd completely trusted Draco's intentions since the moment they'd met him.

"No," said Remus quickly. "I'm just wondering if any of you guys have any doubt..."

"We don't," said Peter. "He's done nothing but good things. For all of us."

James raised an eyebrow at him but then looked to Remus. "He's got a point, you know."

"I doubted him," Sirius blurted out.

Everyone turned their heads to look at him.

"I doubted there could be another decent human being in my bloodline," he clarified.

James nodded, and then looked up at Remus. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

"Huh?"

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

Remus swallowed and slowly sat back down. James always knew when there was something else going on. He could never hide it from him.

"I...can't really...explain it," Remus began, looking at all the marauders now. "But I feel so guilty about lying to him."

The boys all exchanged a look that Remus did not miss.

"What?" he said, impatiently.

"We feel the same way," James answered a moment later.

"Like...like it's a crime...lying to him," said Sirius.

"Like it's lying to Dumbledore's face," James added.

In a way, wasn't it the same thing? Wasn't Draco reporting everything about them to Dumbledore every weekend? James was sure he was.

"I know your theory," Remus said, his eyes on James. "But I seriously doubt Dumbledore sits around listening to Draco report on teenage angst and relationship issues."

James let out a laugh. "Yeah, I suppose not."

There was silence.

"So...what do you wanna do?" Sirius asked the room at large.

The boys all shifted in their seats.

"Well telling Draco wouldn't be like telling anyone else," Peter suggested. "He's not like Frank...or Lily..."

"What's wrong with Lily?" James shot at him, but before he could answer, Remus said, "Lily already knows, Pete, remember?"

"Oh," said Peter. "Right...sorry." James raised an eyebrow at him. "S-sometimes I forget...you know, 'cause she doesn't know about the animagus thing. So she only knows part of the truth."

Remus suddenly became very interested in his sleeve. Unfortunately though, the boys did not fail to notice.

"Remus?" said James.

When Remus looked up, James' expression grew more confused. But it was Sirius who voiced the question.

"What aren't you telling us?" he said.

Remus sighed. "She knows."

"Knows what?" said James, urgently.

"She knows you lot are animagi, Prongs," said Remus.

 _"You told her?!"_ cried Sirius. " _Dude!_ We had a pact!"

"Oh shut up Padfoot," said James, turning back to Remus. "Moony, we had a _pact."_

Remus rolled his eyes and stood up from the couch again. "Guys, she figured out that there was another secret. I...I couldn't lie to her."

"Well why the hell not, I do it all the time!" said Sirius.

Remus smiled at him weakly.

"So I'm confused," said Peter. "Are we talking about telling Draco that Remus is a werewolf, or that we three are animagi?"

"Both," answered James.

When Sirius turned to look at him, he repeated _"Both, Sirius."_

"They _are_ connected," Remus agreed, slowly.

"Is it a good idea though?" Peter whispered. "I mean...w-what if we're wrong?"

"We're not," declared James. The boys looked round at him. "He's not bad. I can feel it."

"You could feel that Filch was gonna be a wicked cool caretaker, and look how bloody well that worked out," said Sirius, rolling his eyes.

James laughed, but then he caught Remus' eye and grew serious again.

"What is it?" he asked his friend. "Why is it so hard for you to just tell him? I thought you liked the kid."

"I do," Remus whispered.

"Well then what's in the way?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, I mean even _if_ he ended up freaking out, we could just explain it to him," said James. "Make him understand, you know?" He paused. "He'd understand."

"Only if we explained it right," Peter pointed out.

"And if Moony's in a good state," James said, jokingly.

"That's a lot of if's," Remus mumbled, again sitting down.

His eyes met Sirius', who now leaned forward to look at him.

"My birthday is in less than two weeks," he began. "You know we can't leave him behind to go on our annual hike under the moon."

Remus looked away from his friend.

"Yeah it wouldn't be right for us to ditch him on Sirius' birthday," James agreed.

"And it wouldn't be right for us not to do the hike this year," Peter added.

"Damn right," said Sirius.

Remus sighed. They were right. _Of course_ they were right. But...

"Hey," said Sirius. Remus met his eyes. "What would happen if he found out about you?"

Remus tried to shrug it off, but Sirius put a hand on his shoulder and he looked at him.

"What would happen if he found out about you?" he repeated, more quietly.

Remus buried his face in his hands, having been afraid of this question, but even he knew all too well that his friends wouldn't let him out of this one. A few moments later, he looked up to find them all waiting for him to answer.

"He might start to fear me," he croaked.

"That's bullocks," said James, at once, who wasn't understanding at all. Didn't Remus get that if they told Draco, they wouldn't have to lie all the time? James was starting to have trouble keeping up with all the lies and he doubted Draco would ever be able to pull off such big lies. He'd probably be hurt that they'd kept this a secret from him, but it was better they told him now than later.

"It's _rubbish_ , Remus," Sirius said.

"No, it's not," said Remus, shaking his head. "I was afraid of the same thing when it was you guys...when it was Lily."

"And look how it all ended up!" said Sirius. "None of us are afraid of you."

"But you should—"

"Remus, stop," said James. Remus looked at him. "You know that's not a problem. Not with us and certainly not with Draco."

"I don't know," Remus mumbled. He looked away from James and into the fireplace.

Draco's first two months at Hogwarts had been anything but normal. He'd experienced life in the spotlight firsthand, he got involved in a couple of arguments, and he was the talk of the school. Constantly a target. Knowing Remus' secret would probably be too much for him. He'd either be really upset that he hadn't known sooner, or really freaked out to even sleep in the same dormitory as the werewolf. Or worse...he'd tell his new Slytherin friends.

 _That_ was what could happen.

But then again, he _had_ been hinting recently (and quite heavily too) that it was alright for Remus to be honest with him. And Peter and Lily had both said that Draco knew there was something the boys were not telling him, but that he didn't know what it was. The boys knew it was only a matter of time before he had to find out. Was this it then?

* * *

 **A/N : What do _you_ guys think? **


	18. Diabolical

**AN : Hey guys! We hope you've had a great week and enjoy the chapter..**

 **DaOneInDaCorner : Hello, I tend to keep my silence in terms of interacting with the readers, but seeing as I actually contributed to this chapter in terms of writing (You guys won't notice really, it's so small there's really nothing to be said for it, ha) and now I may actually need to start doing this a bit more as I'm going to need to do more of my own work so that our favorite writer here isn't pushed into madness by the huge workload she's taken upon herself. Fuck, responsibility sucks, ha. Anyways, I literally had nothing of note to say in this, other than that you all now have my atrocious writing to look forward to atop the fantastic writing of our godly author. For this, I can only say one thing. I'm sorry.**

 **Hplover4ever3 : I'll still edit everything he writes^ ;) **

**Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 18: DIABOLICAL

The curious silvery instruments that stood on the spindle-legged tables continued whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The ancient clock that rested on the desk ticked away into the silent bliss. The fiery red bird sat perched in its cage, blinking. And the old man just behind it went on with his speech, though not a single word that was coming out of his mouth managed to reach Draco's ears.

Draco sat there, watching Dumbledore go on and on, while thinking that he probably shouldn't have skipped dinner to meet him here and that now he'd have to enlist James' help in nicking food from the kitchens, especially since the elves weren't going to be too kind, be it a Sunday night and everything.

A silvery blue light suddenly exploded in front of Draco's face and he snapped back to the present.

"What was the question?" he blurted out, eyes on Dumbledore.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Well, my apologies for boring you," he began. "I'm sure there are plenty of other, more useful things that you could find to do with your time."

"No," said Draco, quickly. "I...look, I'm sorry, professor. But you don't have to throw your Patronus in my face to get my attention."

"Somehow, it is the only thing that'll do the trick," said Dumbledore. Draco sighed. "As I was saying, your ideas of revenge and retribution are quite alarming and I find myself feeling nervous as to what trouble you will get up to without my supervision."

"Well then I guess I'm lucky to have you, aren't I?" Draco mumbled.

"Beg your pardon?" said Dumbledore.

Draco sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? I just...I don't get you!"

He stood up and walked across the office to stand by the window.

"I've given you evidence that this Wilkes kid is dangerous. He wanted to _poison_ me, professor. _Poison me!_ And yet you refuse to do anything about it!"

"Unless you provide me with physical evidence of this accusation or one of your witnesses is willing to step forward to confirm it, you know I can't do anything," said Dumbledore.

Draco scoffed and turned to look at Dumbledore. "What, you don't believe me?"

"That is not what I—"

"Yeah but it's what you meant!"

There was silence.

"Look, Draco," said Dumbledore, taking a few steps towards him. "We are on the same side here. But I don't think you realize that I have a whole school board that has to be involved in decisions. Wilkes comes from a powerful pureblood family that has a lot of influence. Even if I were to expel him based on something you say you heard from someone, the board would never let it pass through easily."

Draco frowned at Dumbledore, and then stepped away from the window.

"Why are you so afraid of the purebloods?" he said. All of the portraits on the walls were now listening to their conversation intently.

"What?" said Dumbledore.

"Well you're clearly afraid of them," said Draco. "So my question is, why? A-and why do you know so much about Legilimency? And..."

"Draco, what is it that you're really asking me here?" said Dumbledore.

Draco hesitated, and then turned back to the window and fixed his eyes on the Quidditch pitch in the distance.

"What happened between you and Gellert Grindelwald in 1945?" he said.

"That has no relevance here," said Dumbledore, quietly.

"I still want to know," said Draco after a moment's silence.

Dumbledore watched him carefully, and then glanced at one of the portraits on the walls before answering, "I think I have made my point clear here tonight. You are not to carry out any attacks on Wilkes in the coming days, do you understand?"

Draco did not answer, but simply crossed to the other side of the room and let himself out. He knew that no matter how he explained it, Dumbledore's morals would get in the way. He was just going to have to do this on his own. No big deal.

But to think, even for one second, that he wasn't going to do anything about this kid, was ridiculous. Of course he was going to get even. Didn't Dumbledore know him better than that by now? And what better way to send Wilkes a message than some haunting revenge?

Draco stopped in the middle of the moonlit corridor, heart pounding. He knew exactly what he had to do. But how to do it was the tricky part...

"Snickerdoodle," he muttered to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Right you are!" she said, swinging aside to let him in.

He bit back a groan and climbed through the hole. The passwords were getting lamer every week.

"But you should—"

"Remus, stop. You know that's not a problem. Not with us and certainly not with Draco."

Draco stopped just outside the portrait hole and stared at his four buddies who were hanging out by the fireplace, no surprise there.

"Hey Draco!" said Peter, suddenly.

The four boys turned to look at Draco and lost their serious expressions at once.

"Hi," he said, slowly, as he walked towards them. "What's going on?"

"Just trying to decide some stuff," said James. "What did Dumbledore say?"

It took Draco a second to remember what excuse he'd used to leave dinner early and go see Dumbledore. But eventually he caught on and took and seat on the couch.

"He said that none of the other heads of house had a problem with the banner so no matter what other students say, we're good to keep it."

"Sweeeeeet," said Sirius.

"I didn't really expect anyone to have any problems with it," said Remus.

"Oh who cares what anybody else thinks?" said James. "We're allowed to get extra materials to cheer our own team on, as long as it doesn't hurt anybody."

"Those blokes were just jealous, that's why they complained," said Sirius.

"I actually heard that it was that Rosier kid who started it," said Peter.

"Typical," said James, Sirius and Draco at once.

Remus met Draco's eyes for a split second and gave him a small smile.

"Guys..." said Draco, slowly. "You know that prank I told you about in Hogsmeade?"

"Yeah?" said Sirius.

Draco looked from him to James to Remus to Peter. What would they say if he told them his diabolical plan? Were they really the boys he thought they were, or would their reactions be that of Dumbledore's? Draco had been in Gryffindor for just two months...what did he know about it, really?

He sighed.

"Let's do it next Friday," he told the boys instead.

They grinned.

* * *

"...so you can imagine, my dear students, my utter surprise when the other professors didn't even know about the compounds of this mixture...it's only the most important Potions discovery of the last century!"

"Oy!"

Draco turned away from Slughorn to look at Sirius.

"Evans is watching you at 3 o'clock!" he hissed.

Draco looked back to find Lily wanting him, and Severus watching Lily. He groaned and turned back to the front. He didn't have time for this nonsense.

"...and it's quite marvelous that many of them even got beyond exceeds expectations on their Potions OWLs!" Slughorn went on. "I mean, to think that after all these years I've taught them nothing!"

"Still watching you!" Sirius hissed into Draco's ear.

"Still don't care!" Draco hissed back.

From the corner of his eye, James was whispering something to Remus, both completely oblivious to the situation. Thank bloody Merlin.

"...so now if you'll all fetch the ingredients and get to cooking, you might have your Potions ready by the end of class," Slughorn concluded.

"I'll go," Draco said at once, hopping off of the stool and heading for the storage cupboards so that the marauders wouldn't follow. Once there, he made a scene of knocking down several jars of beetle wings, and thus getting everyone's attention.

"It's alright, Mr. Black, I'll clean it off," Slughorn kept saying as he waved his wand to clean the mess, disregarding Draco's constant apologies.

"Professor, at least let me go fetch more for the class," Draco insisted.

Slughorn smiled at him, and then, quite predictably so, handed him a chain of keys and pointed out a long and spiked one. Draco slowly backed into the corner of the classroom and let himself into one of the storage rooms. Wand out and lit, he pocketed the keys and looked around.

After the lesson, Sirius hurried after Draco out of the Potions dungeon and hulled him away to an empty classroom so that they'd escape the traffic out in the corridors.

"We'll be late to history," Draco sighed, dropping his book bag onto a desk.

"Like Binns will miss us," said Sirius. "So...why was Evans watching you? Is something going on between you two?"

"No," said Draco, who was looking out the window now.

"She's been watching you a lot lately," Sirius pointed out. "I've noticed."

Draco turned his head. "Why have _you_ been watching her?"

"Because James is too scared to and I'm just doing the best friend duty here," said Sirius, casually.

He sat at a desk and pulled his feet up, his hands behind his head.

"So what did Frank pull you and James aside for, back in Hogsmeade?" Draco asked.

"Ah that's nothing," said Sirius. "Just some seventh year rubbish he wanted us to know. Rumours and gossip, you know?"

"Fun," Draco sighed, turning to lean against the wall and watching the crowd from the corridor outside move quickly and noisily.

"Look Draco," said Sirius. "If there is something going on...you know you can tell me, right?" Draco looked at him. "I mean, tell me and trust that I won't tell James...'cause I won't. I wouldn't do that to you."

"Relax Padfoot, I've already told you there's nothing going on," said Draco, smirking. "Lily's just got some stupid crush but she'll get over it soon."

"And you?"

There was a pause.

"I already told you once that she's not my type."

Draco picked up his bag and approached the door.

"Probably not," said Sirius. "But me and Jamesy just don't see you that way...we like you but we'd prefer to just stay friends, if that's alright."

"Dude, shut up!" cried Draco, hitting him with the bag as he opened the door.

Sirius laughed the entire way to History of Magic. As predicted, Professor Binns took no notice of their late entry and just continued to drone on about the same old rubbish that nobody cared about anymore. Sirius winked at Remus as they passed his desk and sat in their usual corner. All the other students watched them with curiosity, but they took no notice of this and only continued to smile and look rather pleased with themselves.

As usual, Draco did not take in a word of the lesson, but thought a lot about what Sirius had said. It was amazing, even to him, how far they'd come in the last two months. Never had he ever thought he'd have such a good relationship with Sirius Black. And talking to Sirius was not like talking to Regulus. They were brothers, yes, but Regulus was a more serious, less risk-taking, and insecure version of Sirius, whereas Sirius was the real thing. Draco was just starting to wonder whether the Weasley twins could have some sort of relation to Sirius when the lesson ended and Sirius tapped him on the shoulder.

"I gotta go take care of something, I'll see you later," he said before hurrying out the door with the rest of the class.

Draco slowly packed up his bag and followed suit, mindlessly walking along the corridors until he reached the Great Hall which was jam-packed with hungry students. He glanced up and down the Gryffindor table but the marauders were nowhere in sight so he just took a seat and opened the Daily Prophet to occupy himself with while he ate.

More than a few times, however, his eyes glanced curiously at the Slytherin table, where the gang was seated together. Regulus was just on Severus' other side, as usual, and looking rather grim. Severus was listening to Rosier talking about something, as was everyone else. Wilkes had his back to Draco, but Draco was still sure he could feel his eyes on him. He glared furiously.

"Hiya," said Frank, taking a seat across from Draco.

"Hey," said Draco, looking away from the Slytherins. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," shrugged Frank, taking a bite of an apple and sitting back. "I saw Cresswell today. His arm is healed."

"Good for the team," said Draco.

There was a pause. "So you're sure you don't want to join in full-time?"

"Yeah," said Draco. "I've just got a lot to do...you know, no time and all..."

"Yeah, I get it," said Frank. "Time is everything. Listen," he leaned forward, "Are you okay after Alice?"

"Perfectly," said Draco, who'd been expecting this question sooner than later.

"Good, good," said Frank. "There's other fish in the sea, you know?"

Draco smirked. Frank could try telling himself that for a change.

"Yeah, you're right," he said. "I'll see you later then?"

"Will do," said Frank.

He tossed the apple core onto Draco's empty plate, grinned and then moved down the table to his seventh-year buddies.

Draco laughed and looked back down at the paper. He wasn't sure which was the bigger surprise...that Neville Longbottom's father was wicked cool, or that Harry Potter's mother had a crush on him? If only Potter knew...

Draco's eyes skimmed the front of the Daily Prophet for eye-catching headlines, but most of what he saw on there was normal for those days...new attacks, new raids, and new cases of captivity every day...it truly was a war.

He looked up again and watched the Slytherin gang move from their seats and wave to passing classmates as they made their way out of the Great Hall. Regulus followed just behind, then stopped at the last minute, whispered something to Severus, and turned to look at Draco. Draco did not look away, but only watched the last of the gang leave the Great Hall, Severus included. After, and _only_ after they'd left, Regulus approached Draco. He stopped just in front of him, looked around at all the Gryffindors watching him, and then took a seat.

Draco looked back down at the paper.

"People can see," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well..." said Regulus, quietly. His eyes landed on the paper in front of Draco. "Anything interesting?"

"Just a couple of attacks," said Draco, casually turning the page, "You know, the usual." He paused. "How are your _friends?"_

"They're fine," Regulus mumbled. "Look Draco, I just wanted to apologise again for what went down at Zonko's over the weekend. That was not cool of me and Sev and I'm—"

"Why are you friends with them?" Draco blurted out.

"W-what?"

"Why—are—you—friends—with—them?" said Draco, more slowly.

"I...where is this coming from?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "I just see you trotting around that no-good piece of trash you call Wilkes, and you know, silly me, I'm just wondering what the bloody hell are you thinking?"

"W-why are you asking me this...?"

"Oh stop answering questions with more questions," said Draco. "Just tell me the truth, Regulus."

There was silence.

"What do you see in them?" Draco pressed.

Regulus scoffed. "Okay, need I remind you that _you_ are friends with Sev too?"

"I realize that but we're not talking about Severus here," said Draco. Unwilling to let this go, he forced Regulus to look at him. "What does Wilkes have on you?"

"What makes you think he has something on me?"

"Because only a bloody fool would still be trotting after a sadistic guy like that if they had the choice..." he leaned forwards and Regulus looked away. "And you don't strike me as a fool, Regulus Black, so I'll ask again.. _.what does he have on you?"_

Regulus glanced briefly at Draco and then at the door to the Great Hall.

"Regulus," Draco said again.

"N-nothing!" said Regulus. When Draco narrowed his eyes at him, he hastily added, "We've all just kind of been friends since the beginning and you weren't there in the beginning so you're in no place to judge, Draco."

"I'm not judging," said Draco, instantly. "On the contrary, I'm trying to be as subjective as possible here...trying to understand why you could wish to hang around a person who openly tried to have me _poisoned."_

"It's not that simple," Regulus whispered.

"Trust me, I know," said Draco. "But it's not like you don't have people to help you when all hell breaks loose." Regulus looked at him. "You have Severus...you have Sirius..."

"Funny," Regulus muttered.

There was a pause.

"You have me," said Draco. Regulus met his eyes again. "And I'm not going anywhere and this Wilkes kid can try anything on me."

It was amazing, how easy and simple things looked from this side. Draco had been on Regulus' side not that long ago...feeling scared and hopeless to do anything about it...but that was different. He'd actually had nobody on the other side to help him. And Regulus did.

"That's nice but you really have no idea who you're dealing with when it comes to Wilkes," he said now. He then rubbed his head and sighed. "This is heavy talk for a Monday...I just came over because I wanted to apologise again for yesterday..."

"Don't worry about it," said Draco, quickly. "You _didn't_ poison me. That's something, I guess."

Regulus let out a small laugh. "I guess."

He got up from the table, gave Draco an acknowledging nod, and turned to the doors.

Draco's eyes followed him sadly out of the Great Hall, and then he jumped in his seat at the realization that Lily had moved to sit next to him.

"Bloody hell," he muttered.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Yeah," said Draco, dramatically flipping his newspaper and pretending to read it.

The situation with Regulus wasn't going to solve itself if he didn't do something about it soon...and he knew that it could only get worse from here...

"So..." Lily said, in an obvious but horrible attempt at keeping her voice casual. "How's...your day going so far?"

"Fine," Draco answered the newspaper.

"Good," said Lily momentarily. "Yeah, that's nice."

"Yep."

Another moment of silence.

"Uh, Draco could you maybe put the paper away when I'm trying to talk to you?"

"Why, does it bother you?"

"Yeah, it kind of does."

"Then don't watch."

Lily sighed.

"Why is it so difficult for us to get along?" she said, snatching the paper away from him so that he would look at her. "What is it? Do you still think that I look like that kid from the orphanage that bullied you?"

Draco hesitated. "No."

"Well then what is it?" Lily asked, softly.

Draco sighed. Truthfully, he didn't even know the answer to that anymore. At first, it just felt right. It felt like he was obligated to be mean to her, just because of who she was (or would later become). Then it just became a lot of fun to annoy her. But now, he didn't even know anymore.

"Well I know you're not who you present yourself as," Lily filled in.

"Huh?" said Draco.

"Jarine told me what you did for him on Saturday."

"Who?"

Lily tilted her head. "Jarine Atrenus? Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? You played alongside him two fricking days ago?!"

"Yeah, I got it," Draco muttered. "What, uh, did he tell you exactly?"

Lily paused. "He told me how you helped him get over his fear...that he was really nervous at the beginning of the match, but that you were very kind and you got him through it."

"How do you even know him?"

Lily smiled. "I'm his tutor."

 _Of course you are,_ Draco thought.

"Anyway," she said, "I just thought that it was very kind of you to do that for him." She paused. "So you're not at all the bad boy that you present yourself to the world."

"No, you're right," said Draco, turning his head to look at her. "I'm worse."

Lily said nothing.

"Was there anything else you wanted to ask me?" Draco said, knowing perfectly well that she'd hadn't just come over there now to talk about some third year kid.

Lily bit her lip and looked around before asking, in a low voice, "How are you doing? I mean, really...how are you doing...with the whole breakup?"

"Really?" said Draco. "I'm doing just fine."

"Come on," said Lily. "Alice is a great girl. It's okay for you to be upset, you don't have to hide it."

"I'm not upset," said Draco, truthfully.

"But...I saw you two," said Lily. "You guys were all over each other and...you seemed to really like each other...how can you just be okay with a breakup that quick?"

"Like this," shrugged Draco. When Lily didn't look convinced, he added, "My relationship with Alice was more...physical than emotional...if you know what I mean." He paused. "That's not to say that I don't care about her or anything, because I do. In fact I'm sure you've seen her and Frank hanging out together more and more so I'm pretty sure that'll become a thing soon enough, and..."

His voice trailed off because Lily's face had changed and there was something very prominent there. Draco started.

"What...what did I say?" he said, slowly, unable to read her mind even a little bit.

"Exactly how physical did you two get?" Lily asked him.

Draco stared at her. It was a bold question, alright...even for her. But the confidence with which she said it was remarkable.

"I..." said Draco, unable to string together any more words.

Lily eyed him carefully. Clearly it was important to her to get an answer even though Draco couldn't see how it was any of her business, crush or no crush. He frowned. He could go the usual route and tease her about all the stuff that he and Alice could've done...but was it becoming mean at this point?

"We didn't do anything," he finally said, looking away from her.

"I mean it's not my business or anything," she said quickly, blushing furiously. "Just curious..."

"Yep," said Draco.

Lily suddenly jumped from the stool. "I've got to go to the ladies' before class. See you later."

And she left.

The Astronomy lesson that day was actually fairly difficult, reminding Draco that he was falling behind in his studies and that this was a lot more serious than failing through school. He had a cover story to keep up with here. But even Remus was struggling with this work, which at least told Draco that it wasn't his fault. It was the teachers'.

Draco tried figuring out a way to ask Remus about where he and the rest of the boys had been at lunch, but the lesson went on and on without any breaks and Draco had to resort to taking notes. And finally, at the end of the Astronomy lesson, Draco said goodbye to Remus and Peter and headed straight for the abandoned seventh floor corridor for his free period. Severus was already there, which suddenly lifted up Draco's spirits. He looked up at him as he approached the spot and sat down.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Draco asked, noticing how broken Severus looked.

Severus looked back down at his notebook.

"What's happened?" Draco urged. "Seeeev, talk to me!"

"Why was Lily watching you this morning?" he whispered.

Draco's face changed. "Don't bloody do that to me again!" Severus looked up. "Fuck, I thought something serious had happened!"

Severus said nothing, but only looked at Draco with those lost-puppy eyes of his. Draco sighed.

"I have no idea, okay? I didn't even notice her."

"D-do you...?"

"Do I like her? No. Does she like me? I don't know! But even if she did, it's not like it would make a difference. I don't care what she does, okay?"

Severus nodded slowly.

"You need to get over her already," Draco said.

Severus looked up at him again. "I just...I just need to talk to her. We never had our talk and we need to have it."

"I agree," said Draco. "But that's something you guys have to figure out on your own. Leave me out of it."

Severus nodded again.

"Listen," said Draco, moving his bag aside. "I need to talk to you about something very important." Severus waited. "It's about Wilkes. And Regulus. And you. And your whole group gang thing."

"What are you asking?"

"I'm asking how the hell you lot came to be!" cried Draco. "I wanna know how a guy like Wilkes manages to get a kid like Regulus to be afraid to breathe without his approval, let alone talk to whoever he wants." He waited, but Severus said nothing. "I want to know why you both are still following him around, even after he tried to get you to poison me."

Severus looked down at his book and very, very slowly closed it in his lap. Then he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Draco watched him carefully.

"My first train ride to Hogwarts will always be one I'll never forget," he began. "I rode the train with Lily…for the most part…we'd gotten separated on the station platform and I spent most of the first half hour looking for her compartment. But then I finally found it and we sat together." Draco noticed that he neglected to mention the detail about James and Sirius being there too, but he didn't press him. Severus opening up about something was a rare occasion, so Draco knew better than to interrupt. "After the sorting, I was too depressed to do anything so I just went to my table and sat there for most of the feast. I didn't even eat." He paused and opened his eyes to look at a random spot on the opposite wall. "When we were brought to our common room, I went straight to bed and didn't talk to anyone. I was too upset. And a second-year called Wilkes was the only one who seemed to notice." He paused again, his eyes landing on Draco now.

"So he befriended you then," Draco finished for him.

"I've never had friends," Severus said, thoughtfully. "But he was the only one who'd noticed that I had gone to bed early. The next day, I came to Gryffindor Tower early to escort Lily to the Great Hall. And from then on, we did everything we possibly could together. We sat in classes together, did homework at the library together…we watched all the Quidditch games from the Astronomy Tower instead of the pitch..." Severus' face changed. "But then Wilkes started telling me that I was a fool for being friends with her. He started explaining that she came from a different world…the world of muggle-borns. And that one day she would turn on me."

"Well why would that happen?" Draco wondered.

Severus shrugged. "He didn't forbid me from talking to her or anything. I mean, he couldn't, really. But I still hung around her and the older we got, the more difficult it became."

"Why?"

"Lily started disapproving of the people that I hung around…you know, Rosier, Avery, all those guys… I mean, she tried to be their friend in the beginning but, well you know…they didn't want to…"

Draco nodded. He could see exactly how that scene would've played out. Lily, in her naivety, trying to shake hands with Wilkes and Wilkes staring at her as though she were contagious… Yep, that seemed about right.

"By the time we were in fourth year, the guys and I had this sort of understanding…you know about purebloods and stuff…" Severus looked up at Draco. "Who am I kidding, you don't know…you were raised by _Dumbledore_."

"Actually, I _do_ know," Draco argued. When Severus raised an eyebrow, he added, "I'm a _Black_ , or did you forget?"

"Really?" said Severus. "And tell me, does your pal Sirius know that you're _that_ Black?"

Draco said nothing.

"Does Potter?" said Severus, cleverly.

"What happened next?" Draco sighed.

Severus looked down.

"The fight last year," he answered, quietly. "After that, she turned on me completely. And I realized that Wilkes was right. He'd always been right. Lily didn't just turn on me because I called her a mudblood . She turned on me because of everything that I represented and everything that she was against. And Wilkes had been right all along—he'd known this would happen from the very beginning when he realized that she and I were friends."

"And Regulus?"

Severus thought for a minute.

"When Regulus came around and he was sorted into our house, I knew right away that I wanted nothing do to with him. He was Sirius' brother and your pal and his friends had so far made my life miserable at Hogwarts."

"So you thought his brother would be the same," nodded Draco.

"I could tell Regulus was very scared," said Severus, quietly. "He was willing to do anything that he was told. All he wanted was approval—his parents' approval more than anything."

"So Wilkes befriended him too then?"

"Not exactly," said Severus, slowly. Draco sat up, fully alert, and listened. "There was this incident one night…in our third year. I won't get into the details of it. If Regulus chooses to tell you, then so be it. But basically he got himself into some dirt."

"What kind of dirt?" Draco dared ask.

Severus bit his lip. "The kind that would make Mr. and Mrs. Black come to the school for a chat with the headmaster."

"Ah," said Draco. "Gotcha."

"So Wilkes, being the powerful guy that he is, somehow managed to convince some kid in his year to take the fall for what Regulus did...now that kid's parents just happened to work at the ministry, so with just one simple owl, the kid got off with just a month's worth of detentions...and Regulus was off the hook."

"Okay so he saved his arse once," said Draco. "Big deal."

"You still don't get it," said Severus, sadly.

"No, I do!" cried Draco at once. "Seriously. It's...you know...poor Reg, stuck at Wilkes' mercy for the rest of time."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Your sarcasm is greatly appreciated."

Draco grinned.

"Anyway," said Severus. "Now you know what has to be done."

"Yeah, I think I do," said Draco.

The only way that he even had a chance at rerouting Regulus (and Severus for that matter) was if Wilkes was completely out of the picture. Why couldn't Friday get here any sooner?

The rest of that week wasn't terribly bad. The Marauders stopped acting so strange and didn't leave Draco by himself anymore, which was both good _and_ bad, considering he didn't have time to himself so that he could at least try to talk himself out of the prank he had in mind. But nonetheless, it was a fairly okay week.

On Tuesday, the Gryffindor Quidditch team had a meeting wherein Cresswell's return was announced by a very disgruntled-looking James. Both he and Sirius kept shooting Draco equally frustrated looks.

On Wednesday, James and Sirius decided to boycott the midnight Astronomy lesson, rescuing Draco, Remus and Peter along the way. The boys ended the night in the kitchens with the elves, who were more than pleased to treat them to some food (Draco now understood that James and the elves went way back).

"Treat them nice and they'll treat you nicely right back," said James simply.

"Yeah, but I mean you've _never_ had a house elf?" Draco said. He couldn't believe it. His parents were of a respectable pureblood family.

"We don't do the whole elf thing," James explained. "That's more the Blacks' territory."

Sirius made a face, but Draco silently said "oh". He was actually looking forward to meeting Kreacher one of these days and learning why Regulus was so fond of the elf.

On Thursday, Gryffindor House awoke to some apparently very exciting news—Alice and Frank were back together for good. All up and down the table in the Great Hall, fellow Gryffindors congratulated the happy couple and shouted things like "finally!" and "about time!" The pair did look very happy of course, but even so, Alice kept shooting Draco nervous looks.

Draco simply sat there with the boys, smiling to anyone who passed by so that they wouldn't get any ideas about how "completely and utterly depressed and heartbroken he must be at this news!"

But finally, as the crowd subsided, Alice made her way over to where Draco sat and gave him a warm smile.

"Can we go somewhere to talk?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, grabbing his bag and ignoring Sirius' stupid grin.

They walked along the lake's shore for about fifteen minutes. The day was slightly chilly but definitely tolerable, and as they walked, the waves from the beach sang in their ears.

Alice began her speech about how she was very sorry for announcing her reunion with Frank so soon after her breakup with Draco. Draco kept trying to stop her and assuring that he was fine and that it was okay and that she needn't apologise and that he was very happy for the two of them and would she just calm down about it already?

"I just feel like it was so insensitive of me!" she told him. "You've been nothing but kind and...I'm so, so, so, so sorry, Draco."

He shook his head and pulled the purple-wrapped package of chocolate from his bag, handing it to her silently.

"What's this?" she asked, taking it.

"A thank-you for what you told everyone about the circumstances of our breakup," he said. She looked up at him, wide-eyed. "If I heard another rumour about me being gay, I swear I would've snapped."

Alice giggled, then grew serious suddenly and pulled Draco into a hug.

"You're a really great friend, Draco," she told him.

"Yeah," he managed to say, feeling startled.

Sure, he and Alice had kissed a few times, but a kiss was a kiss. They'd never done something so intimate as _hugging_. It felt weird, yet at the same time nice.

"So," Alice said, pulling away, "What say we get you a girlfriend, huh?"

Draco laughed nervously. "Don't you dare."

Their laughs echoed away as Draco grew serious again and eyed Alice.

"You're really happy?"

She nodded, smiling pleasantly.

"Good," said Draco. "Frank's a great guy —can't believe it took you this long to figure it out."

Alice hit him playfully on the arm and he chuckled.

"You girls are weird," he added as they started slowly heading back up to the castle together.

"Sometimes, we just need assurance that you guys are serious," Alice explained. "We need to know that we matter to you."

"You matter more when you're not so bloody annoying," Draco muttered, but he wasn't sure Alice had heard him because she didn't say anything, but rather admired the package that he'd given her.

Once they reached the Entrance Hall, several students turned their heads as they passed and frowned at them.

"Well then," said Draco as they entered the Great Hall and made for the Gryffindor table, stopping just before the Marauders. "The rumours will probably start again."

"Huh?" said Peter.

"Alice walked with me along the beach," Draco explained. "They're bound to make something of that."

"Oh well," shrugged Alice. "Perhaps they'll assume you, me and Frank are a very happy threesome."

Sirius choked on his orange juice.

And finally, at long last, Friday morning arrived. The Marauders awoke bright and early, as agreed upon, and silently crept out of their dormitory with cloak and map in hand, tiptoeing down the spiral staircase and checking around all corners before they proceeded down the tower.

"So are you gonna tell us what it is that we're actually doing?" James asked as they walked. "You know, besides the very vague details you mentioned in Hogsmeade."

"Nope," said Draco, who was leading the way.

"Oh come on, man, that's not cool!" hissed Sirius.

Draco only shook his head with a failed attempt to cover up his grin.

They slowly and cautiously made their way over to the third floor, Draco all the while watching the map for any oncoming footprints besides theirs.

"It's pretty epic though," he teased after a moment's silence.

"What is it?!"

The questions came flooding in after Draco's declaration, Sirius by far interrogating him insistently, and for that matter, loudly.

"Not telling, it's a secret," Draco answered with a smirk, chuckling inwardly at the over-exaggerated look of utter betrayal on Sirius' face. "Trust me, this is one that you'll want to be in the dark on."

"I'll fill you all in later," he added after James and Sirius exchanged a look.

Each of the boys were now frowning in silent debate, however they soon seemed to reach a consensus, with James looking directly at Draco before allowing a grin to spread across his face.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, that's all I ask."

Draco only smirked.

He couldn't believe how long it had been since he'd originally planned the prank. His patience that week had been dangerously tested to the point where he was on the edge of a serious breakdown. Time seemed to be always standing still for some reason, whereas in his original timeline, it had always been flying with the speed of light.

Finally, they stopped by the door to the girls' bathroom and Remus sighed of relief. The entire way there, he'd been silent as a doornail, no doubt expecting to run into a teacher at any moment.

"Okay," said James in a hushed voice. He turned to Draco. "What's the plan?"

"We go in and I talk to Myrtle," said Draco.

James and Sirius stared at him.

"You're on a first-name basis with the ghost," said Sirius, wide-eyed.

"I'm gonna stay out here to keep watch," Remus informed the group.

"Okay," Draco agreed, looking over his shoulder to make sure there was no one around.

"You're actually on a first-name basis with the ghost," said Sirius.

"Maybe you should stay with him, Pete," Draco said.

Peter nodded, then took the map from him and folded it up before pocketing it.

"Why are you on a first-name basis with a ghost?!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Just...later!" Draco hissed. "Now come on!"

He pushed the door open and entered the bathroom, followed closely by James and Sirius, whose facial expressions would otherwise suggest that they were entering a muggle theme park.

"Never been here before, have we?" James whispered to Sirius, both boys looking up at the ceiling and the walls, which looked gloomier and uglier than ever.

Draco was actually pleasantly surprised. They'd spent five full years exploring the castle and yet they'd never stumbled upon this place?!

"Myrtle?" he called out, glancing at the row of stalls, most of whose doors were wide open. It was clear that Myrtle had had quite a night, banging them open again and again in yet another tantrum.

Water droplets echoing from the corner told Draco that Myrtle was hiding in one of the stalls. But he knew better than to seek her out by now.

"It's Draco!" he said, letting _her_ come to _him._

Sirius and James both stood behind him, practically bursting with anticipation yet watching with fascinated looks on their faces.

More water echoed and then Draco caught a glimpse of Myrtle's hand peeking out from the end stall.

"Myrtle," he repeated, unable to mask the desperation in his voice this time, "Please come out. I-I've brought friends that want to meet you."

Sirius gave a small laugh, which started out bark-like and, strangely, ended in a sort of choke. Draco spun around instantly. Sirius was standing pale-faced and wide-eyed, with Myrtle floating literally inches away from his face.

"Something you wanted to say?!" she shrieked in his face.

"I—" he stuttered.

"Um," said James, who'd jumped several feet away. He gave Draco a panicked look.

"Myrtle," Draco said, loudly.

She slowly turned her head to look at him.

"Remember me?" he said.

She gave a girlish giggle and moved away from Sirius, who let out a shaking breath.

"You came back," Myrtle told Draco.

He smiled awkwardly. "Of course I did. I promised I would, didn't I?"

Myrtle sighed happily.

And just when Draco thought she was about to try to hug him (or even worse), he cleared his throat. "I brought friends to meet you." He turned her attention back to James and Sirius, both of whom suddenly smiled widely.

"This is James Potter," said Draco. "He's a Quidditch god and one of the coolest blokes in this place." Sirius gave a loud cough and Draco smirked again. "And this is Sirius Black, the prank genius and relationship master."

Sirius grinned.

"The friend you wanted to find," said Myrtle.

Draco smiled. "You remembered?'

Myrtle turned to look at him. "How could I ever forget? I mean, it's _you!"_

Behind her, Sirius pretended to vomit and James kicked him.

"Right," said Draco, smiling awkwardly. "Well guys, this is Myrtle Warren, the nicest ghost in the castle to this date."

Myrtle sighed happily again, while James and Sirius exchanged looks.

"Uh, nice to meet you," James managed to say.

Myrtle ignored him. "So what brings you to my chamber this morning, Draco?"

But before he could answer, a familiar voice out in the corridor said, "Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew, what brings you to this side of the castle at this early hour?"

Draco watched both Sirius' and James' eyes grow round at alarming speed.

"What?" said Myrtle, looking at all the boys.

"N-nothing!" said James. "We, uh...we just forgot to rehearse what we need to say so that we can...um...communicate effectively, on this our first ever meeting..."

Draco frowned at him, but he didn't stick around to explain. Pulling the cloak out, he pulled Sirius towards the door and threw it over the pair of them. Draco and Myrtle watched the bathroom door open and close. As soon as the boys were gone, Draco turned to Myrtle.

"I need your help," he declared.

When Draco was finished explaining what he needed Myrtle to do, she was no longer smiling happily. She had a strange expression on her face and moved gaunt-like towards the window ledge at the back of the bathroom. Draco followed suit.

"You do realize that none of the other ghosts here talk to me..." she said, gloomily.

"Well that's their loss," Draco quickly said. She looked up at him. "Seriously, those other ghosts are stupid!"

"Helena is nice," Myrtle said, sniffing.

"Eeeeexcept for Helena!" Draco added, laughing nervously. "Of course! That's what I meant."

Myrtle sighed. "Oh I don't know, Draco..."

"Myrtle, if anyone can do this job, it's you. You are the only...uh, person, that I know who can convince those ghosts."

"Well then you clearly don't know me that well," she said, sadly.

Draco sighed. This was going to be a lot harder than he'd thought trying to compromise with a low-self esteemed ghost who completely lacked confidence would be.

"But I do," he invented, taking a seat at the window ledge with her. "You're Myrtle. Brave and not afraid to speak your mind. Strong yet so vulnerable. Kind-hearted but seriously misunderstood."

And then, to Draco's horror, Myrtle exploded into sobs.

"What did I say?" he asked weakly.

He was beginning to wonder whether taking the ghosts out of the equation would've been much simpler.

"No one's...ever...said that...to me...b-before!" she wept.

Draco glanced nervously at the door and then back at her.

"Pleeeeease, Myrtle?" he pleaded. "I really need your help."

Alarmingly fast, her crying ceased, and she looked at him with curious eyes.

"Why are you after this kid anyway?"

Draco hesitated before answering. "He was mean to my friends, that's all. I think he should be put in his place."

"I wish someone had done that for me once," Myrtle whispered.

It took all of Draco's willpower not to roll his eyes at this. He'd heard that story too many times during his first sixth-year and quite frankly, he got it at this point. Olive Hornby was a bitch.

"Okay," Myrtle finally said. "I'll arrange it."

"You will?" Draco exclaimed.

"Yes, for you Draco, I'll get it done," she said, hopping off of the window ledge.

"Sweet, thank you so much, Myrtle!" Draco exclaimed. "Seriously, I owe you big for this!"

He crossed over to the door and pressed his ear against it, but all was silent which meant that the coast was clear. He had no idea how the marauders had managed to get rid of Professor Livesey, but he was definitely impressed.

Myrtle floated over to the ceiling and settled herself on the chandelier that hung there. She waved goodbye to him, and he winked at her before exiting the bathroom.

Draco had one more stop to make before setting out to find where the marauders had gone to. At that moment, he was definitely grateful to have befriended the marauders, for without them, he would never have learned the shortcut to the kitchens. Well, there was a bunch of other stuff that they were good for, but nothing nearly as important as that.

But by the time he reached that corridor, to his great surprise, he found the Marauders lurking not far from it. Well, most of them, that is.

"What's—?"

"Where've you been?!" Sirius exclaimed at the sight of him.

"I—"

But the boys never let him finish.

They pulled him to the side and looked over their shoulders several times to make sure they were out of earshot of anyone.

"Where is Remus?" Draco asked.

"He went to fetch some muggle object that he wanted Livesey's opinion on," said James.

"Why would he—?"

"He wouldn't," said Sirius. "He did that to distract her from the fact that he and Peter were hanging out by the girls' toilet. She's waiting for him in the Great Hall now."

"We wanted to wait for you before we went there," Peter added.

"Ah," said Draco.

The boys looked around again. Several students were walking along the end corridor, on their way to breakfast. Draco turned back around to face the boys.

"So what did _Myrtle_ say?" Sirius asked him.

James' head snapped up and he eyed Draco carefully, apparently curious as to whether he'd managed to pull it off.

Draco smirked. "It's a done deal."

"You're kidding," said James and Sirius together.

Peter looked over Draco's shoulder nervously.

"Well it's not like it was that hard though," Sirius added momentarily. "The freak's _obsessed_ with you."

"Hey," said Draco, feigning hurt. "Don't mock the master."

Sirius grinned, but as the boys prepared to go to the Great Hall, Draco instead turned the other way and let himself into the kitchens without a word to the boys. Confused, they quickly followed.

Draco stood at the door awkwardly, unsure as to how to go about this. All of the elves were rushing about the kitchen with breakfast things, some of them squeaking orders at each other. A small number was grouped around a fully-stocked table at the back. Every couple of seconds, they snapped their fingers in unison and food disappeared from the table. Draco's eyes landed on the elf stationed at the juice table. He began to approach him when Sirius said, "Wait, where are you going? They're sending all the food to the Great Hall anyway."

"There's just something I gotta take care of," Draco mumbled.

He made for the table again when James suddenly grabbed his arm and turned him around.

"What are you up to?" he asked in a serious tone.

Draco shrugged his arm off and proceeded to the table. James, Sirius and Peter followed quickly.

"Hey," he said to the elf in charge of the juice.

It turned around to look at him, eyes wide with shock and nose pointing slightly upward.

"Sir?" it squeaked.

"Uh hi," Draco said, stopping before him. "I need your help with something."

"Manny's help, sir?" it replied.

"More like his cooperation," Draco corrected, reaching into his pocket now with a sideways glance at James, who was more confused than ever.

He pulled out the little vile that he'd taken from Slughorn's private stores and showed it to the elf. Its eyes examined the substance in Draco's hand before it looked back up at him.

"What does sir want Manny to do with that?"

"Pour it in a pitcher...and guarantee that the pitcher is only drunk from by one individual."

"Which individual, sir?"

"A seventh-year Slytherin student by the name of Wilkes," Draco declared, ignoring the Marauders' looks of outrage. "He'll be sitting at the corner furthest from the staff table."

"Draco," said James, but Draco watched the elf carefully as it contemplated the object in Draco's open palm.

"Manny is not sure if he wants to break the rules, sir," it finally said, quietly. "Manny is not sure if this is legal, sir."

Draco slowly dropped to his knees so that he was levelled with the elf and smiled at it. "Oh but it's fine, I'm only pulling a harmless prank here. It's not going to hurt him. And besides, I can guarantee that you won't get into any trouble for helping me with this." He paused at the elf's confused expression. "I suppose I neglected to mention that I'm Draco Black."

And instantly, the elf's whole expression changed.

"Certainly, sir," it said, taking the vile from Draco and clutching it tightly in its long-fingered hand.

Draco smiled. "I knew you'd understand."

He stood back up and the elf looked up at him.

"Oh and could you also hand me the pitcher that you're gonna use? Just for a second..."

The elf reached over the table and handed him a full pitcher of freshly-squeezed orange juice. Draco grinned down at the elf and took the pitcher in his hands. Then, he pulled out his wand and waved it over the drink once. When the spell was cast, he handed it back to the elf.

"That'll just make it self destruct after it's been drunk," he explained.

"So there's no way of tracing it back to you," Sirius breathed behind him.

Draco snuck a glance at his friend but then looked away quickly.

"Manny understands, sir," the elf told Draco. "Manny will make sure it gets done, sir."

"Thank you, Manny," Draco said, pleased.

With his morning's work done, he turned away from the elf and pulled the boys out of the kitchen. They walked in silence until they reached the Great Hall. Remus was seen to be standing near the staff table, apparently showing something to Professor Livesey, both of them deep in debate-like conversation.

The Great Hall was slowly filling up with students, and the Slytherin gang had not yet arrived. The boys took their seats at the Gryffindor table and almost at once, Sirius pushed the nearest orange pitcher away.

"Relax," Draco told him. "You're good."

"Don't wanna risk it," he grumbled. "Especially since Hogwarts is now filled with students looking to _poison_ each other."

Draco blinked.

"It _is_ a bit sketchy, mate," said James. "I mean this so isn't what we talked about in Hogsmeade." He lowered his voice. "What on earth are you planning?"

"I...it's nothing!" said Draco. When the boys didn't look convinced, he hastily added, "I'm just doing you guys a solid here. Come tomorrow, you'll be thanking me."

"What's tomorrow?" said Sirius.

"Yeah and what was that stuff that you spiked the pitcher with, if it wasn't poison?" said James.

Draco grinned at the sight of the Slytherin gang slowly making its way towards its table.

"Call it liquid courage," he told the marauders, who now exchanged worried looks and slowly turned in their seats to watch.

"Just be thankful that Remus doesn't know about your little detour to the kitchens," James muttered as the four boys watched the Slytherin table with anticipation.

Draco didn't answer, but rather fixed his eyes determinedly on the group seated at the end of the table. As he'd predicted, one of the boys fetched the pitcher and poured the first drink for the most important person there. Wilkes nodded as he took the goblet from Rosier. He then brought it to his lips. His eyes found Draco's, and a split second later, he drank.

The corners of Draco's mouth twitched slightly into a very subtle smile.

* * *

It was the most bizarre day of his existence. Amidst the whispering and the pointing, he, like all the rest of the school, watched Wilkes slowly and excruciatingly painfully self-destruct throughout the course of the day.

The Marauders kept expecting all of the school's ghosts to burst through the doors and start following random students around. Sirius was constantly looking over his shoulder and James kept repeating the question, "Are you sure you told them not to go after us?"

But what's more, they still hadn't figured out how the two events of that morning were connected. All Draco knew was that the questions weren't stopping, and for some strange reason, Remus hadn't yet been briefed on the boys' unplanned visit to the kitchens. In fact, he had no clue of the entire incident. All he knew, like anyone else, was that Wilkes was suddenly very, very paranoid.

Rumours were flying here and there as Wilkes walked about the school in between classes, uncharacteristically loud and obvious. He mouthed off to teachers, he told random stories to random students, and he babbled endlessly about a voice that only he could hear and no one else. To say that eyes were wide as they watched the teen slowly lose his mind was an understatement. Draco almost found it painful to watch, rather than enjoyable. Perhaps his spirits would be lifted once the ghosts did their bit.

He so hoped Myrtle had managed to convince at least a few of them.

"When are they gonna do the show?" Peter kept asking.

"Yeah, I thought we were supposed to be pranking the whole school," Remus added.

"Apparently, that plan's been thrown in the gutter," James said, his eyes on Draco.

As the day went on, it didn't get any easier to keep them in the dark. A part of Draco really wanted to tell them about why he was doing this...about what Wilkes had tried to get Regulus and Severus to do. But the other, more reasonable part of him knew well that if the Marauders knew, they'd take matters into their own hands. And it was better that he be caught for an incident like this, than they. After all, he was a time traveller sent back to potentially save the wizarding world from ever destructing. There was no way in hell that Dumbledore was prepared to expel him.

By evening, there was a mixture of reactions to Wilkes' behaviour from the student body. Some were finding it amusing and cheered him on through his obsessive rants over useless things, while others looked more concerned. And then there were those who were watching him with pity and sadness...as though he was in pain or something...those people were namely one person. And it really bloody annoyed Draco that she was capable of feeling sorry even for a ghastly creature like Wilkes.

The students gathered around the Entrance Hall that evening, after a full week of notorious homework piles and dull lectures. Some went about their activities and conversations, but most were watching Wilkes, who was now acting like a madman. The effects of the potion that Draco had spiked his drink with seemed to have gotten only worse as time passed. Wilkes was now pacing about the Entrance Hall, his eyes round and bulging red and his fingers tapping nervously against his legs as he walked.

The Marauders and Draco were sitting atop the stairs in their usual spot. They hadn't said a word since their arrival there, and all of them were watching Wilkes intently. Draco seemed to be the only one among them who was amused by this show. Peter was occasionally glancing over his shoulder, expecting the ghosts to appear at any moment. James and Sirius had dark looks on their faces and Remus was scanning the hall for any signs of the out-of-the-ordinary.

Finally, at about half past 9, a third-year Slytherin girl let out a shriek. The show had begun.

Dozens and dozens of shadowy silouettes flooded their way into the Entrance Hall from various corridors. These ghosts, which on a regular day would look quite familiar, were more zombie-looking than ever, and quite frightening too. They started floating through gasping students and committing unnerving gestures. Some of them began tossing a head around the Entrance Hall. Most of the students parted to make way for them. Some even shrieked, though whether it was of terror or excitement, Draco wasn't sure.

His eyes had now landed on Wilkes, who was looking more paranoid than ever. And shortly after the show began, the only thing that Draco had come there for really, occurred.

He watched Wilkes intently, and Wilkes flew backwards, a ghost having appeared in front of him with a manic grin. Nearly Headless Nick may have scared the first years at times with his appearance, but there was a reason most of the ghosts stayed in places where they weren't going to be seen.

Tongue hanging jagged with little bits plastered in translucent blood, the eyes were most terrifying as the first hung lopsided from its socket, while the other seemed nothing more than a half-melted pile of goo.

Wilkes squealed at the sight, all students' activities coming to a halt at the scene. The ghost leaned down closer and the grin only widened, as Wilkes' own face turned an unhealthy shade of blue, his breath hitching nervously.

"Ya know, I met a great deal of little tikes like yourself when I was growing up in this castle, even taught a few myself!" the mysterious ghost told the teen in a slow, matter-of-fact manner, pitch staying at a high note in what amounted to an incredibly eerie tone. "Lotta kids willing to do the darkest deeds and with the power to face no justice for their crimes."

For the first time since coming up with his plans of revenge, Draco suddenly felt the slightest bit of hesitance in carrying out his retribution. Perhaps Myrtle had done a bit too well of a job in finding someone who'd be able to get back at Wilkes...

Draco sighed in acknowledgement that the boy would be needing counseling for years to come, but there was little room in his heart for pity towards the boy who'd tried to turn family upon family; the boy'd brought it upon himself.

From the corner of his eyes, he spotted Sirius watching him but wouldn't dare look to meet his eyes. The time for explanations would no doubt come later that night.

Draco was brought out of his introspection at the sound of a high-pitched cackle as Wilkes' robes began to dampen around the crotch.

Before anything else could be done, the now soiled teen was on his feet in a flash, eyes bloodshot and wand already in a death grip, the first sounds being little more than incoherent screams before he managed to get out his first sensible word since the ghost had jumped him in the hall.

"Crucio!"

The Entrance Hall suddenly filled with piercing screams as a bright light filled the area, no longer a public spectacle to be seen, as the curse travelled through the non-physical being. Students dropped to the floor in a panic while more and more curses travelled around, all originating from Wilkes' wand. Draco suddenly wished he hadn't gone through with it. It was a bloody massacre and the screams only seemed to get louder as the boy seemed to have finally lost any sanity he'd retained throughout his day's torment.

Draco, who was crouched atop the stairs with the other boys, couldn't see anything over the bodies of students on the floor, all shaking with fear. He didn't dare look up, afraid that one of the torturous curses that Wilkes was shooting would possibly hit him. He wasn't sure how time travel worked exactly, but he doubted that his death in this timeline would have no effect at all. And he wasn't quite yet ready to die.

Suddenly, all sound seemed to stop. Draco dared to glance over Peter's back to see what was happening. All the students seemed to be slowly and shakily getting to their feet now. The curses were no longer flying and the other ghosts were gone.

"Have I gone deaf?" Sirius muttered beside him.

Draco's eyes wandered to each of the boys and then throughout the hall until he found Frank, Alice, Mary, Lily, Jarine Atrenus, Dirk Cresswell, Severus, Regulus, and any other person he actually hoped hadn't been hit. All seemed to be fine. In fact, it was a miracle that no student whatsoever had been victimised by one of Wilkes' curses.

Draco's eyes finally landed on the boy, who was standing at the center of the hall in a combination of a body-binding curse and a frozen state. Surrounding him were Professors McGonagall, Slughorn, Claybrook and Livesey. Draco groaned.

"What has happened?" McGonagall demanded of the students nearest her.

They instantly delved into explanation of what they had seen and what had happened to their neighbours.

"He just started shooting the curses at us all for absolutely no reason!" a fourth-year Hufflepuff girl said.

"Yeah, it wasn't even self defense or anything!" her friend agreed. "He just lost it on all of us!"

"Went crazy and started shooting random curses," a scrawny-looking boy added.

"We heard him talking in class today about how smart he'd been about Wilson's cat," an older Ravenclaw boy told the teachers.

"What do you mean, Parker?" McGonagall said.

"Professor, he admitted to being responsible for what happened to that cat," a blonde girl beside her answered. "He said that he was the one who hung it!"

"Yeah, I heard him too!" a seventh-year Hufflepuff girl agreed.

"We actually heard him say that he was the one who flooded Hagrid's cabin two years ago," a fifth-year Gryffindor added.

"Yeah, he said that he wanted him to drown!" a second-year girl added.

Professor McGonagall now had her hand to her mouth and her eyes wide as she listened to the students' tales, which didn't seem to end even after ten minutes of this.

Draco, who had been watching with everyone else, glanced at the Slytherin Gang, which was strangely silent about the whole situation. Most of its members looked rather grim and anxious. Regulus was standing close to Severus, both their eyes on Wilkes' frozen form.

"...but the ghosts were just playing with us, professor!" a younger Hufflepuff girl squeaked.

"Yeah, they said it was part of an early surprise Halloween show," an older boy of the same house said. "They weren't just targeting him, they did it to all of us."

"But he's been acting paranoid all day long so he was the only one who was affected so much," a Ravenclaw prefect said, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at Wilkes' frozen figure.

"Naturally," said Professor Claybrook, whose wand was pointed at Wilkes now, in case the kid came to and resumed his attack.

"...he kept promising that she'd be his next victim, professor," a Ravenclaw girl was now saying.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," McGonagall suddenly said.

The hall fell silent again.

"Very well then," she continued, still looking shocked. "I suggest you all go back to your houses...immediately, I might add." She paused. "I don't know how is it that none of you managed to get yourselves attacked tonight, but you should all consider yourselves beyond lucky."

"And I think, for the time being, these nightly hangouts should stop," Claybrook added to the room at large.

"Off you go!" McGonagall called, and instantly, students began to scatter and climb up stairs hurriedly and panicky.

The teachers all grouped together now, but Draco only heard the words "hospital wing" over the ruckus and chaos.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around, and his eyes widened. Professor Livesey was standing before him, looking very much suspicious.

"'Evening, boys," she said, glancing at the five of them.

"Hello Professor," said Remus, his voice evidently nervous. "Is something wrong?"

She shrugged. "I'm just wondering how big of a coincidence it is that two of you were wandering in strange corridors just this morning, and then all of this happened." She gestured at the Entrance Hall before her eyes landed on Draco.

"A big coincidence," he simply said.

"You boys wouldn't happen to know why this happened, would you?" she asked.

"Not a clue," said Sirius.

Livesey did not look convinced, however she still let them be. Once they were gone from the hall, James rounded on Draco.

"You wanna bloody tell me what all that was about?!"

"Nothing!" cried Draco, turning to leave.

James grabbed his arm again.

"Nuh uh, you're not getting away this time," he said. "You may not have to answer her questions but you're sure as hell gonna answer ours."

Draco anxiously looked at all the boys waiting for an answer. But before he could answer, Sirius said, "Let's talk in the common room."

"Hell no, we're going after them!"

It wasn't Remus who said it. It was James. Draco stared at him, astonished. But he wasn't alone in that reaction.

"W-what?" Sirius said.

"We're turning ourselves in," Remus agreed. He glanced at Draco. "Tonight."

* * *

 **Do you guys reckon Draco should've listened to Dumbledore?**


	19. Kaleidoscope

**A Message from Hplover4ever3 : Yep, your calculations are correct. The next chapter is going to be the special, which is great. But two things...we've been pretty busy lately so the special might be one day late. Either way, it will be updated within the next two days. **

**Also, that's going to be our stopping point for the time being...and a cliffhanger too. Sorry about this, but as you know, real life comes first.** **Not sure when we're going to get back, but hopefully soon. Don't complain, there's been 4 updates in the last week and a half. Try to find more authors on this website with school and work who have time to update as much. Seriously. If you find them, PM me because I want to talk to these amazing creatures. Anyway, enjoy the chapter but save some of that enjoyment for the special which is going to be EPIC!**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 19: KALEIDOSCOPE

Draco frowned at the piece of paper in his lap and chewed on the pencil, his brows furrowed. The curtains were drawn around his bed, but even so, he could see the sunlight slowly starting to come in through the window. The Marauders were sound asleep, with Peter's faint snores being the only sound in the room. The day was young, but the chilly air of the morning was definitely present. Draco turned his attention away from the marauders and back to the paper. Who was missing?

He eyed the lines that he'd drawn, carefully connecting Harry Potter to the Weasleys and James Potter to Sirius Black and Sirius Black to Regulus Black and Regulus Black to Wilkes. He'd written Severus just above Regulus because by now he'd gathered they were closest to each other within that group. But Wilkes was at the center of the page, with various lines pointing at his name in all directions like a spider web and a big question mark slapped right down the middle.

Draco's eyes wandered to Lily, who also seemed to have many lines connecting her, first to James then to Remus, Mary and Alice, and finally to Severus. He eyed Alice's and Frank's lines and frowned at Mary's. He couldn't remember any reference to her from his previous life, not that there would be. He had no reason to have known her, and from what he gathered, she had no connection to Wilkes other than the Mulciber incident. And somehow, Draco doubted Wilkes had played any part in it.

Sirius shifted in his bed and sighed deeply. Draco watched him through the bed curtains. He then circled his name on the paper and wrote 'Azkaban' below it, feeling his throat tightening up. Having now gotten to know Sirius, he could never imagine a life where he was free and Sirius was not. His eyes wandered to Bellatrix's name and he wrote 'Lestrange' and then 'Azkaban' under that too. He paused now, heart beating rapidly. He'd completely forgotten about this. Hand shaking slightly, he drew a line connecting Bellatrix to the circle that was Frank and Alice at the corner of the page, and wrote 'torture curse' along the line. He had no idea why she'd done it, other than perhaps it was fun for her. But he knew now that if she even tried going after them, he'd do something stupid. Frank and Alice were two people he did not want to see dead anytime soon.

He frowned now and drew a line from Bellatrix to Barty Crouch Junior, wondering how those two even got on a first-name basis in the first place. She was years and years older than him so there must be a reason why they were connected more so than the other death eaters would be. Draco leaned back on the bed. So the only way to make sure Frank and Alice were untouched was to eliminate both Bella and Crouch. That should be easy. They were only two of the most notorious sadists in Draco's time. No big deal.

He sighed and turned back to the calmer portion of the paper. Remus was pulled to the side with the word 'teacher' on one side and 'disappear' on the other, since Draco had no clue what ever happened to him. Last he'd heard, Remus was part of that Order of Phoenix thing that his parents had talked about. But Draco had never seen him again after he'd left Hogwarts in third year.

Peter was crossed out, and so was Rosier, who Draco knew would die at some point during the war, before Draco would ever be born. Regulus was also crossed out, which made Draco cringe slightly. He had no idea how Regulus had died or where even. All he had was an approximate age and that wasn't much to go on. Still though, he wouldn't have to worry about it until next year, when Regulus would be in his sixth year.

James let out a cough and turned over in his bed. The sun was shining slightly brighter now, but it was still relatively dark out. Draco leaned back against his pillow and closed his eyes.

He had woken up at 5 that morning to plan and strategize. But no matter how many charts he made, he couldn't figure out a single flaw in the plan. There was nothing he could think of that would affect the future if Wilkes died right now. Today. Draco hadn't even heard of him back in his own timeline, so he'd naturally assumed upon meeting him here that this person just died sometime during the war and thus the Malfoys had never known him. But if Draco was the one who actually took care of his death, that wouldn't exactly be called interfering, would it?

He'd woken early that morning to see if Wilkes presented any problems, but he hadn't expected to run into several more problems during the chart-making process. Like Regulus, for example. He had to now figure out what it was that led Regulus to his demise. He also had to choose between wiping out Bella or Crouch...or maybe both if necessary. And Peter was a dangerous one too, though Draco couldn't see it yet...how a boy like that would end up betraying his best friend...

If only he could go back in time, er, forward, to the moment when Severus told him that story, and actually ask this time, exactly how Peter Pettigrew had betrayed the Potters?

Draco's eyes suddenly widened slightly and he wrote a name he'd forgotten completely in the corner of the page. He grinned now. Sure, his arrival in this timeline had changed things. He doubted, for instance, that Sirius and Regulus would continue to hate each other for much longer now. But there was nothing stopping time from bringing Hermione Granger to Hogwarts eventually. She was muggle-born. Her family was not connected to anything happening here now. So being around as an adult by the time she arrived (if he was even still alive by then) would be mighty hilarious and definitely something to look forward to.

The sun suddenly shined brightly through the window, and like an alarm, Sirius let out a loud and dramatic yawn. The rest of the boys started to stir and groan and mumble. Draco tapped the piece of paper in his lap with his wand and then sat up once it disappeared and drew open the curtains.

"Morning," he said to Sirius, who was slowly sitting up, clutching his head tightly.

"I feel like I'm swimming with a shark's arse for a head," he groaned.

"Yep, that sounds about right," said Draco.

"After the night we had, I don't really blame you, Sirius," said Remus, rubbing his eyes. He frowned at Draco. "How long have you been up anyway?"

"Not long," Draco shrugged.

"Ugh, I feel like we got buggered but never went to the party," James groaned.

"Well, if you count Wilkes' little massacre party, then we kinda did," said Draco.

The boys stared at him.

"Too early to joke about it?" he asked.

"Little bit," said Sirius, grinning. "But your dark sense of humour is much appreciated."

"That's not what James thought last night," Draco muttered.

 **xxxxxxxxxx**

"Hey! HEY! DRACO, GET BACK HERE, WE'RE NOT FINISHED!"

"Uh, yeah, we are."

James turned him around and kept a firm grip on his arm. " _No, we're not_."

"Get off me," Draco muttered, darkly.

"Guys, stop," said Sirius, getting in between them. They remained rooted to the spot. "James, look he's right, okay? Let's just go back to the common room and we'll talk there."

"I'm sorry, were we not hanging out in the same hall tonight? Did we not witness the same bloody massacre?!"

"He's right, you guys," said Remus. "We can't just ignore this. I mean we've done some really low stuff in the past, but this..."

"Actually, _we_ didn't do anything here," James contradicted, his eyes on Draco.

Draco sighed.

"Well no one's turning themselves in," Sirius declared.

"Oh yes he is," said James.

Sirius moved to stand before Draco and looked at James. " _No, he's not_."

"Sirius—"

"Guys, stop!" Peter shouted.

The boys all turned to look at each other in the dark corridor.

"I'm sick of this fighting!" Peter said.

"He's right," said Draco, his eyes on James and then Remus. "Turning ourselves— _myself—_ in won't do any good."

"Don't you feel even a little guilty about what you did tonight?" James said, his voice full of accusation. "He bloody set off torture curses because of what you did to him! What would you do if that curse had hit Alice? What about Lily? What about—"

" _Hey back off, James! There's more to this story than you know!"_ Sirius cried.

Draco's head slowly turned to look at him. "Exactly what do you mean by that?"

Sirius ignored him.

"Look," he said to James now. "We've stood by each other in the darkest of times. We've covered up each other's tracks for like all of fourth year. Are you seriously telling me that you're willing to throw Draco into the dirt because of this one little prank?"

"Watch me," said James, moving ahead towards the hospital wing.

Sirius grabbed his arm.

"Could you just stop for maybe a second and think about what you're trying to do here?"

James opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Has it crossed your mind that there's more going on here?" Sirius said to him through gritted teeth.

"Sirius," said Remus, quietly. "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, what _are_ you talking about here?" Draco said.

Sirius turned slightly in his direction but said nothing.

"Sirius," Draco prodded. "What do you know?"

Sirius sighed.

"Regulus and I talked, okay?"

"You did?!" cried James, Remus and Peter.

But Draco's face had suddenly changed.

"H-he told you?" he said to Sirius.

Sirius let go of James' arm and nodded. "Yeah, he told me."

"Told you what?" said Remus.

"I...can't believe he told you," Draco went on. "When did you guys even...?"

"Yesterday," Sirius said. "I knew somethin' was going on with you...you've been acting weird all week, mate. I just needed answers."

"Answers about what?" said James.

"You noticed?" Draco said, slowly, ignoring the others and watching Sirius only.

"Of course I did," Sirius said. He then grinned for the first time that evening. "Family always knows when something's up."

Draco grinned back.

"Guys," said James, snapping him back to the reality that he and Sirius weren't alone. "What's going on here?"

Sirius glanced at Draco, who sighed deeply and turned to face all of the boys.

"There's...something I haven't told you guys," he began, hoping desperately that that'd be the only time he'd ever have to say those words to them. The boys waited, curious looks splattered on their tired faces. "Wilkes tried to have me poisoned."

It took a while for the words to sink in. The marauders exchanged strange looks and Remus even looked to Sirius for confirmation. Sirius only nodded.

"What are you talking about?" said James.

"I'm talking about Wilkes trying to have me _killed_ ," Draco told him. "He...he's got something on Regulus...and he was upset that Regulus and I were in touch, or actually he was upset that I wasn't afraid to talk back to him..."

"Wait hold on a second, back up there," said Sirius. "What does he have on Regulus?"

Draco silently kicked himself. That was far more than he'd wanted to reveal.

"I don't really know," he answered, slowly. It was the truth, anyway. "I...it's just something that Snape let slip..."

"What could he possibly have on him?" Sirius muttered.

"I honestly don't know," Draco repeated. His eyes wandered back to James, who was watching him with an expression he couldn't quite read. "I hoped I wouldn't have to tell you guys."

"Well why the hell not?" said James.

"Because of how I knew you'd react!" Draco blurted out. James' eyebrows rose.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Draco sighed. "Look guys, you're like my best friends here. I would never wanna jeopardize that." Peter smiled slightly. "But you're all bloody spontaneous too and I knew you'd cook something up...something real bad...if I told you, and that's why I decided _not_ to tell you. Because it wasn't important."

"That Wilkes tried to poison you?!"

"Are you _kidding_?!"

"It bloody well _is_ important!"

"I KNOW," Draco interrupted their protests, "I know and I'm really grateful that you lot think so...but I doubt each of your parents will agree...and if Dumbledore expelled you guys, I don't know how I'd be able to live with it. Me, he won't expel but you guys, what with your reps here and everything..."

"Dumbledore would never expel us, he loves us," said James.

"It's not always up to him," Draco whispered, in his mind thinking of this mysterious board that Dumbledore was so afraid of.

James sighed, and then looked at Draco again.

"Man, you still should've told us," he said. "Do you have any idea how much my opinion of you has changed in the last eighteen hours?!"

Draco smirked. "Well then clearly you guys don't have that much faith in me."

"That's not true," said Remus. "We just...well we..."

"I can't blame you for it," Draco told him. "After all, I _am_ quite mysterious."

The boys grinned at him.

"So what are we doing here then?" Peter said finally.

"Nothing," said James.

Remus nodded.

They turned away from the hospital wing and began walking in the other direction.

"Seriously?" said Draco. "Wait, what happened to all your morals and your values and how this was one step too far and how the right thing to do is—"

"Screw the right thing to do," said James. "Look, that was back when we thought you were a psycho with a sick sense of humour, looking to attack random Hogwarts students—"

"Wilkes is _not_ random," Draco corrected.

"—but _this_ changes things."

"Why? 'Cause I explained that he started things and so that makes it okay?"

James stopped walking to look at him.

" _No_ ," he said, "Because you're one of us. And we protect our own..." he glanced at Sirius, " _...even_ through the messy stuff."

Sirius looked away.

 **xxxxxxxxxx**

The boys stayed up in their dormitory for another couple of hours, discussing all of what had happened the previous night, until they heard noise downstairs and decided it was time to head to breakfast. The Great Hall was fairly packed by the time they got there, and most conversations were centered on one specific subject. But thankfully, no one suspected the marauders of having anything to do with what had happened. People didn't believe they were capable of this kind of dark humour.

"But we know now that it wasn't dark humour, it was revenge," Sirius told the boys.

"Yeah, and next time…" said James, turning to look at Draco, "…we'd like to be included in the planning process."

Draco grinned. "Yes, sir."

He glanced over James' shoulder at the Slytherin table, where the gang was sitting in its usual edge of the table. All of their eyes were on their plates and not a word of conversation was exchanged for the entire duration of breakfast. Both Severus and Regulus were missing from the table. Somehow, this didn't make Draco feel any better.

The worst thing that had come from last night was yet to happen. Draco had not seen Dumbledore yet, and from what he'd overheard the teachers saying last night, Dumbledore was out of the building when the incident occurred. And Draco had a lesson scheduled with him tonight.

"…he's obviously gonna get a court hearing, I mean there's no way that the ministry is gonna let this drop…"

"…are you kidding? With the state that our country is in right now, they'll for sure say that it was an attack made by the death eaters…"

"…how thick are you?! He _is_ a death eater! Or at least on his way to becoming one! Why on earth would the death eaters attack him?"

"Attacking your own men publicly is the best alibi ever."

"Yeah, no one'd suspect you!"

"It shows you have the guts to do something like that even to your own!"

James sighed and looked at the other boys. "They're right, you know. Draco, you should've _told_ us you were a death eater!"

Draco let out a nervous laugh and then took a sip of his tea.

Remus suddenly leaned forward. "I heard Professor McGonagall say that whatever Wilkes was on before the ghost show was only part of the reason why he went mental in the end."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

"Well according to her, the substance _and_ the show somehow played a permanent trick on his mind."

"Permanent?" said Peter, quietly. "You mean he'll always be like this?"

Remus shrugged at Draco.

"Well we don't have to care anymore about Wilkes," Sirius added after a while. "He's gone. For good."

"Well, not for _good_ ," said Remus.

Sirius groaned. "Do you always have to kill the fun here, Moony?!"

"Hey, it's what I'm here for," joked Remus.

"He'll be back though, won't he?" said Peter. "Soon, I mean."

"No, he won't," said Draco, though he wasn't quite sure of that. He doubted Dumbledore would let that bloodthirsty beast back into the castle anytime soon, but you never knew these days…besides, Dumbledore might still be mad at him for doing exactly what he'd told him not to…all would become clear tonight.

"So," said Remus, changing the subject. "Hagrid's invited us to tea this afternoon."

"Sweet," said Peter. "I've missed him."

Draco frowned. "You guys went to see him just last weekend."

"Which reminds me," said Remus, leaning forwards, "That you promised to join us next time."

Draco froze.

"D-did I? Huh…funny you mention that…"

"You still haven't met Hagrid?!" cried James.

"Whoa, you _have_ to come with us," said Sirius.

Draco looked from one to the other.

"I…" he said. "I mean, I…it's just that…well…"

"Hey, you did promise," said Remus.

"You didn't…like _tell_ him that I promised to come next time…or anything…d-did you?" Draco asked him.

"Of course I did!" said Remus.

Draco groaned.

"Hey, what's wrong with Hagrid?!" cried Sirius.

"He's brilliant, you'll really like him," said James.

"And he's our favourite person here," added Peter.

"And we're not taking no for an answer, not this time," finished Remus.

Draco had no choice but to forfeit. He had no choice but to follow the Marauders after lunch down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's Hut, just on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He had no choice but to wait with them outside Hagrid's door until the miserable oaf opened it and let them in. Draco took a seat at the edge of the large round/rectangular table which stood at the center of the room, and crossed his arms. On either side of him were James and Sirius, both of whom had put their feet up and their hands behind their heads. Remus was helping Hagrid prepare the tea and Peter was setting the plates down for some large and disgusting cake thing that Hagrid put out.

"Ain' it nice ter finally see ya all!" said Hagrid, who slumped into his large chair and looked around, his great big eyes landing on Draco. "An' it's good ter finally meet ya!"

"Likewise," Draco muttered, keeping a fake smile. "I've…uh…heard lots about you."

"Well how funny, so have I!" beamed Hagrid.

Draco turned to James. "Oh is that right?"

"Yep," said Sirius with his mouth full of whatever Hagrid had put out. "We talk about you all the time, mate."

"You're like the highlight of our conversations," James nodded.

"How charming," said Draco, who was trying hard not to think about the gross smell of the hut or the weird noises that were coming from the pots at the back.

"How's Quirky doing?" Peter asked.

"Oh he's doin' jus' fine now," said Hagrid. "He's really lookin' forward ter seein' some snow for the firs' time."

"Who's Quirky?" Draco dared ask.

"One of Hagrid's many wondrous pets," Remus explained. "He's gamekeeper at the school."

"Quirky was born jus' this last summer," Hagrid explained. "I've been keepin' him 'ere with me, jus' for the time being, until I can figure out where ter send him."

With that, Hagrid moved from the table to the back of the room and moved a blanket off of some round object which Draco finally came to realize was _alive_. A look of disgust on his face, he eyed the hideous beast, with its spiked ears (or was it eyebrows?) and overall greyish mandrake-like appearance.

"That's…lovely…" Draco mumbled.

"Ah, he's a beauty, that one," said Hagrid, beaming down at the creature before carefully placing the blanket over it again and taking his seat at the table.

"So you…like _pets_ then…" said Draco.

"Yep, always have an' always will," said Hagrid, proudly.

Sirius began mumbling a bunch of stuff with crumbs falling out of his mouth, and the only words Draco got was "care of magical".

"Ah, I dunno," said Hagrid. "It's not really… I mean I can't jus'…Dumbledore wouldn'…"

"Yes, he would!" said James. "I keep telling you to talk to him and you just won't do it. I don't get why."

"Guys, leave him alone, if he doesn't want to, it's his choice!" said Remus, shooting James and Sirius disapproving looks. He sipped his tea and then turned back to Hagrid, a kind expression on his face. "Have you heard about what happened last night?"

"With that Wilkes bloke in Slytherin?" said Hagrid. "Yeah, I've heard about that, alrigh'. Definitely not somethin' ya see every day."

"Definitely not," said James. He leaned forward. "Hagrid, you know we had nothing to do with it, right?"

Remus looked away and Sirius made a face, but Draco watched the exchange between James and Hagrid intently. Somehow, James felt it his duty to assure Hagrid that the marauders had not been responsible for Wilkes' fate.

"Of course I know!" Hagrid answered. "You lot are jokesters but not evil."

"Right," laughed Remus. "Yep, that's true. Yeah. Totally."

There was silence.

"So…what about…care of magical creatures?" Draco asked the table at large.

Hagrid made a face.

"We keep trying to convince Hagrid to take Professor Grubbly-Plank's place," James explained.

"Yeah because she doesn't know shit about what she teaches," said Sirius.

"Actually, I've heard that she's a pretty good teacher," said Remus, thoughtfully.

"Not the point," said James, giving him a dark look.

Remus shrugged.

"We want Hagrid to tell Dumbledore that he's interested in teaching it," Peter told Draco.

"Because you so are and you know it," Sirius said to Hagrid.

Hagrid shrugged. "It doesn' even matter, ya know he's goin' ter say no."

"You never know, Hagrid," said Remus. "You never know unless you try."

Draco watched Hagrid carefully. He was a lot shyer than he remembered. A lot less loud and less obvious. And a lot, _lot_ less aware of his size.

"Whoa!" cried Sirius.

Draco's eyes snapped to him. It was then that he realized his hands were wet. And burning.

"Shit!" spat James, whose lap was soaked, and Remus moved to start wiping the table on which Draco had spilt his tea.

"S-sorry," he mumbled, helping Remus.

"No worries," said Hagrid. "It's only tea, it'll clean off."

James was now hopping at the back of the hut and trying desperately to dry off his pants.

"Are you okay?" Remus whispered to Draco as they finished off cleaning the table.

"Fine," he mumbled. "I'm, uh…gonna just…"

He moved around the big table and let himself out of the hut. It was freezing cold out but he didn't care. He looked around, shivered slightly, and set himself down on the grass next to the big patch of pumpkins that was just behind the hut. Draco cursed out loud. If his parents, or his friends, or even Potter and his lot, ever, _ever_ found out that Draco had just had tea with fucking Rubeus Hagrid, they'd lose it. It was the most embarrassing thing, and Draco only hoped that Severus wouldn't find out. Or Regulus. He'd for sure lose his respect that he'd worked so hard to get.

"Hey," said Remus, making Draco jump.

"Sorry," he laughed. "Mind if I join you?"

"Yeah, go ahead," Draco mumbled.

Remus moved to the side and took a seat next to Draco on the grass. They stared off at the crimson shade surrounding the sun in the distance by the lake.

"What was that back there?" Remus asked.

"I…don't know…" Draco admitted. "I suppose I just sort of…forgot where I was."

"Look I know you've had a lot to deal with lately," said Remus. Draco turned his head to look at him. "Finding out that some git was out to get you must've been really nerve-wrecking. And I realize that Regulus is probably like a little brother to you by now. You were just doing what you thought you had to do to protect him."

Draco looked back at the sun.

"You've been through a great ordeal in the last week," said Remus. "You should cut yourself some slack."

Draco sighed. "Why are you so nice to me? Why do you keep defending me after all the shit I do?"

Remus shrugged. "It helps that you're Dumbledore's adoptive son."

Draco laughed, stopping only when he noticed Remus wincing and holding his hip.

"You okay?" Draco asked slowly, watching him with concern.

"Fine," said Remus, quickly. He looked at him and smiled. "All is well. Come on, let's go back."

When the Marauders got back to the castle later that evening, they realized that everyone was still talking about Wilkes and last night's incident. That was all anyone anywhere seemed to be thinking about, which made it slightly difficult for Draco to put the whole thing behind him. He'd gotten the outcome that he'd wanted—Wilkes out of Hogwarts—but yet he still felt a little regretful and somewhat ashamed…like perhaps he could've gone in another direction.

"Mate, you have _nothing_ to be ashamed of," Sirius told him once he expressed this concern at dinner (to Sirius only). "You've been here for like five minutes. You haven't seen all the shit he used to do to students when we were younger. I wasn't just defending you because we're related. I was defending you because you were right in doing what you did and if it were me, I would've done the same thing. That git had to be put in his place and you did just that. You don't have anything to regret here."

Draco nodded at these strangely comforting words. It somehow mattered to him more what Sirius thought than anyone else.

Finally, the time had come for Draco to excuse himself from the company of the Marauders for the evening and do just the thing he'd been avoiding all day—go and talk to Dumbledore.

Sirius gave him an encouraging nod as he rose from the table and made his way out of the Great Hall. Before he reached the door, Draco's eyes landed on Severus at the Slytherin table, who was watching him with a stranger's eyes, almost like he didn't know who Draco was anymore.

Draco groaned and moved quickly from the Great Hall to the Headmaster's Tower. The entire way there, he thought about what to say to Dumbledore; how to explain; how to make him understand. But when he finally reached the office and took his seat across Dumbledore at the table, Dumbledore simply said, "Good evening, Draco. Let us begin right away. Wands out."

Draco stared at him.

"What…?"

"Wands out, Draco," Dumbledore repeated, his own wand slowly rotating in his fingers.

Draco hesitantly pulled out his own wand and set it on the table.

"Now concentrate like we practiced," said Dumbledore. "You need to get a sense—a feel—of my mind, before you can even start thinking about the incantation."

"I…"

"Let your mind become mine. Let them connect. Let them be bound by something very strong and very common, be it emotion or memory."

"But…"

"Don't let your own emotions or memories blind your way into my mind," Dumbledore continued. "If you are going to hold onto something, it has to be something that we have both shared."

"WAIT!" cried Draco.

Dumbledore paused.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Draco shouted.

"I beg your pardon?" said Dumbledore, calmly.

"I…but…we…I BLOODY ATTACKED A STUDENT YESTERDAY!"

Draco was on his feet now, glaring down at Dumbledore and wanting nothing better than to hex him for being so bloody calm and unaffected.

"No you didn't," said Dumbledore.

"YES I DID!" Draco shouted. All of the portraits on the walls were now watching him but he ignored them. "I MANIPULATED A LOW SELF-ESTEEMED GHOST INTO DOING THINGS FOR ME. I TALKED A MISERABLE HOUSE ELF INTO SPIKING A PITCHER OF JUICE. I BLOODY STOLE FROM THE PRIVATE STORES OF ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE PROFESSORS! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TELLING ME THAT YOU DON'T CARE THAT I DID ANY OF THAT?!"

"Draco, calm down," said Dumbledore, raising a hand. "Take your seat."

Draco stared at him, unbelieving of what he was hearing, but nonetheless forced himself back down.

"What's going on?" he breathed.

"What's going on is that I specifically asked you not to go seeking revenge and you went out and did just that, so now, we shall not speak of it again and we shall go ahead with the lesson planned for today," said Dumbledore, simply.

"What—aren't you gonna ask why I did it anyway?" Draco said. "Aren't you gonna ask me which house elf and which ghost and which professor were unknowingly part of my big plan?"

"No," said Dumbledore. "I will not investigate because I know exactly who you are."

"I don't understand," Draco mumbled.

"I told you not to protect your family," said Dumbledore, his hands together on his desk now, "And you betrayed my instruction to protect your family. I see nothing wrong with that."

"But—"

"I must say, I didn't expect you to go about it in _this_ particular way, but the important thing that came from last night was that no one was hurt and Mr. Wilkes is now getting the help that he needs."

"You mean you bloody _tested_ me?!" Draco hissed. "IT WAS A FUCKING TEST?!"

Dumbledore stared at him, shocked, because for a second, _just a second_ , Draco had forgotten who he was talking to.

"I'm sorry," he said, quickly. "I didn't…m-mean that…"

"That's alright," said Dumbledore, still calm. "I am a Headmaster—I can't say I'm not used to it."

Draco bit down on his lip to prevent from saying anything else he might regret later.

"I wasn't testing you," Dumbledore said now. "I was merely curious to see what you would do in a situation where I told you not to do something but you knew better."

"But that's...gambling with people's lives," Draco muttered.

"Not the way I see it," said Dumbledore. A hint of a grin crossed his face now. "Why do you think none of those curses hit anyone?"

Draco gasped. "What did you do?"

"I set up a blocking Charm in the Entrance Hall, the Great Hall, and several other adjacent corridors that same morning, long before you and the boys even woke up."

Draco stared at the grey-haired man in front of him, unable to accept it. Believe it. Understand it.

"You didn't really think I'd risk my staff and students' lives, did you?" Dumbledore continued.

"How did you do it?" Draco breathed.

Dumbledore shrugged. "Let's just say, timelines combined and all, Myrtle...and Manny... _and_ Slughorn have known me a lot longer than they have known you..." Draco's eyes widened and Dumbledore smiled again. "And we'll leave it at that."

"Yes sir," said Draco, nodding slowly.

"Good," said Dumbledore, his voice changing. "Now, let us put it behind us and get on with today's lesson. I have somewhere I need to be later tonight."

"Professor," Draco said before Dumbledore could continue, "Where were you last night?"

Dumbledore cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I mean, I…I heard Professor McGonagall say that you weren't in the school," Draco added.

"Ah," said Dumbledore. "I was meeting with the Minister last night."

"What for, sir?"

"He was trying to convince me to allow his Azkaban guards to invade the school grounds," said Dumbledore.

"W-why?"

"Because it seems that Hogwarts is no longer safe, now that the war is heavily progressing," said Dumbledore, who was now tilting his head slightly to look at Draco.

"Well I'm sure he'll be writing to you soon about how he was right, unless for some strange reason he doesn't hear about what happened," Draco mumbled.

"Let me worry about that," said Dumbledore. "Now…the lesson, Draco."

Draco sighed and picked up his wand.

He should've bloody gone with a memory charm instead.

At the end of the lesson, Draco decided to take a shortcut back to the common room, and was glad he did because he found Regulus waiting for him in one of the side corridors that led to Gryffindor Tower. Regulus was sitting on a bench up against the wall with a book in his lap and a concentrated look on his face. When he saw Draco approaching, he jumped up and shut the book quickly. Draco frowned at the title.

" _Magick Moste Evile?_ " he said.

"Uh yeah," said Regulus, looking down at the book and then up at him.

"Where did you get that?" Draco breathed.

"One of the guys," said Regulus. "Why?"

"It…you…" Draco took a step forward. "You realize what I've gone through to protect you?!"

Regulus' mouth fell open slightly.

"You realize what I've done to keep you safe?!" Draco hissed. "Why the hell are you _voluntarily_ throwing yourself back into the dirt?!"

"I'm not," said Regulus.

"Well then what _the fuck_ is this?!" cried Draco, grabbing the book from him and holding it up.

"It's nothing!" said Regulus, taking it back. "Jeez, what has gotten into you?" His eyes then went round. "Wait a second, it _was_ you, wasn't it?!"

"DID YOU BLOODY THINK IT WOULDN'T BE?!" Draco shouted, grabbing the book again.

Regulus shushed him and they both looked around the silent corridor.

"Why did you do it when I asked you not to?!" Regulus hissed.

"Because _someone_ had to put that bloke in his place and it sure didn't look like you were going to anytime soon," Draco hissed back.

"But I—"

"Look, I did what I did to protect you, okay? A little gratitude would be bloody nice."

 _"I don't need protection!"_

Draco's mouth opened but nothing came out. He stared at Regulus in the darkness…the young version of himself blinked back at him angrily.

"Fine," Draco muttered. "I'll leave you alone."

"Yeah, you do that," said Regulus, still heatedly.

"I will," said Draco. "I mean it's not like Gryffindors and Slytherins should even talk to each other, right?"

Regulus said nothing, but only looked away.

"Yep, you got your philosophy straight," Draco told him.

Regulus sighed.

"Look, I…maybe we should just…not talk for a while."

He didn't wait for Draco to answer. With an awkward glance at him, he grabbed back his book and walked away.

"Fuck," Draco muttered.

This was probably exactly what Wilkes had wanted. He'd set Draco a trap and Draco had walked straight into it, allowing his own ego to get the best of him. And now, Regulus would never trust him again.

Over the next couple of days, Draco noticed four important things. The first; the talks about Wilkes were only getting more exciting. Everyone was now raging about what would happen to him and when the Minister would set a hearing with the Wizengamot and what would happen to the Hogwarts ghosts. Meanwhile, the teachers were assuring students that nothing could possibly happen to the Hogwarts ghosts as they were merely performing an entertaining show, and that Wilkes had been influenced long before the ghosts had taken any part in that night. And, indeed, the evening hangouts in the Entrance Hall had been put to a stop for the time being. What fun.

The second; Wilkes' little army of followers was actually very quiet nowadays. The gang didn't bother anyone, didn't say anything to anyone, and didn't even talk to anyone except to each other. It was as though they were afraid to act without their little puppet masters ruling the halls.

The third; Remus was starting to show signs of an upcoming transformation as October slowly drew to an end. His mood was up and down again, and every now and then, Draco caught him wincing at some new pain in his body.

And the fourth; the Marauders weren't doing anything to cover up this full moon. They weren't coming up with any excuses as to why Remus would be gone or why they would be wherever they planned on being that night. They hadn't mentioned Sirius' birthday _or_ Halloween, both of which were going to take place that weekend. Everyone was pretending like nothing was happening, and this to Draco was far worse than listening to the Marauders' fake excuses. He'd rather they lied than this.

On Wednesday at lunch, they disappeared again, but this time Draco had proof that they weren't secretly meeting somewhere. James had gone to talk to his team about some important Quidditch stuff up in the common room, Peter had run to catch Professor Flitwick so that he could ask for an extension on an important essay, and Remus had gone to the Hospital Wing, apparently in search of some sleeping aids. It was just Draco and Sirius at the Gryffindor table, which made it slightly difficult for Draco to squeeze in a talk with Severus.

They had of course met on Monday during their free period, and thankfully, that exchange had been less damaging than the one with Regulus on the weekend. Severus knew all about it, and told Draco that he ought to just give Regulus some time and that he'd come around to talking to him again. He claimed that the boy was just too proud for his own good and didn't want any help.

"He came to _you_ ," Draco had pointed out.

"Yeah, but Reg and I have a special relationship," Severus explained. "We have since his first year."

Now sitting in the Great Hall, Draco watched Severus at the Slytherin table with a kind of longing to walk over and talk to him and beg him to maybe get through to Regulus. Draco hadn't spoken with the kid since Saturday night and it was killing him.

"What's on your mind?" Sirius asked him.

Draco turned away from Severus and shrugged. "How's Remus doing?"

"Fine," said Sirius. "Why, should he be anything else?"

"I dunno," Draco shrugged.

Sirius eyed him carefully.

"What?"

"I know you know something."

"What makes you think I know something?"

"You clearly do."

"Well what is it that I know?"

"You tell me."

They stared at each other.

The bell sounded across the castle grounds then and Sirius looked up at the staff table where most of the teachers were now getting to their feet.

"Come on, lunch's over, we'll be late," Sirius mumbled.

The next day, James had to go meet with Frank for something so the rest of the group decided to hang out outside after lunch since it was a surprisingly warm day (and probably the last for that year). But once they got to the spot by the tree and took a load off, Draco spotted two people sitting on a rock in the shade several feet away from them…two of the _unlikeliest_ people, that is.

Sirius followed his eyes and frowned.

"Since when are those two talking again?"

Draco shook his head and stared at Lily, who seemed to be quite sad as she listened to Severus say whatever it was that he was saying to her.

"Just be glad James is not here," Remus muttered. "If he was, there'd surely be a scandal now and we don't need another one of those."

Draco made a face but said nothing. Ever since the Wilkes incident, it had definitely been hard to try and get back to normal with the Marauders.

"Let's agree not to tell him," said Peter, suddenly.

"Agreed," said Remus, Sirius and Draco together.

After that, Draco tried to find a time to talk to Severus when others wouldn't be around, or maybe even to Lily, but the marauders were with him every single hour so he decided it would have to wait.

On Friday, the boys awoke to surprise Sirius by throwing a bucket of water over him.

"What the hell!" he shouted, jumping from his bed and shivering from the cold.

"Happy birthday, mate," James told the soaked Sirius.

Sirius shook his head to get the water out of his ears and made a mixture of a groan and a laugh.

"It's one of our weirdest birthday traditions ever," he said.

"You got that right," Draco commented.

When James, Remus and Peter had told him the previous night, he almost didn't believe them. Almost.

"Whatever man, you know you're jealous because I'm now of age," Sirius said.

James made a face, but Draco didn't answer. He wasn't sure when it would be the right time to tell the boys that he was actually already 17. Maybe another day...

"Oh come on, Jamesy," said Sirius now, "Don't tell me it doesn't make you feel terrible! Your old pal Sirius can do magic outside of school and you can't!"

"No comment," James muttered.

The boys laughed.

Seeing as how it was Friday, the boys decided they couldn't celebrate until evening. But at about 3 o'clock that day, Professor McGonagall spoiled those plans. Or rather, Sirius and James did.

They had decided that it would be funny to play a joke on Martha Pollington, a Hufflepuff in their year and a loud-mouthed know-it-all by making her books talk back to her. Professor McGonagall decided that enough was enough.

"Detention, tonight, _both of you_ ," she declared.

James and Sirius stopped laughing.

"But professor!" cried James.

"It's my birthday today!" cried Sirius.

"Well then we'll celebrate with some lines, won't we?" said McGonagall.

Sirius groaned.

Once she'd left, Draco hissed, "Why the hell did you guys do it?!"

"Yeah, now you're gonna be stuck in detention for the night," said Remus. "Way to go."

"This sucks," Sirius spat.

"Yeah, so much for a big birthday celebration," James muttered.

Sirius' face lit up. "What'd you guys have in mind?"

"It doesn't matter now, it's over," said Draco.

Sirius groaned again.

At around dinnertime, Remus had his first muscle spasm and hurried off to the hospital right away, so that none of his classmates would notice. Draco, on the other hand, found that Remus didn't even try to hide it from him. Strange.

So, now that it was just Draco and Peter together at the Gryffindor table, Draco decided this night wouldn't be as fun as he'd hoped it would be. But just when he was prepared to do something about it and maybe suggest to Peter that they go to the common room and play cards or even Wizard's Chess, Professor Flitwick stopped by their table to remind Peter that he had an essay to finish.

"My office, right now, Mr. Pettigrew," the little professor told him. "This is an unacceptable late."

Peter sighed and followed the professor out of the Great Hall. Draco bit back a groan. Well this was just bloody perfect. Could this night get any duller?

He decided to go back to the common room himself and maybe read or something. But once he'd gotten as far as the Entrance Hall, he stopped at the sight of Severus lurking by a pillar, watching him. Draco took a deep breath and approached him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," said Severus. "Where are your friends?"

"I dunno," shrugged Draco.

"Really?" said Severus. "You have no idea?"

Draco stared at him. "W-what's going on?"

"You really don't know where they are?"

"Sirius and James are in detention and Peter's upstairs with Flitwick," Draco mumbled. "What's up, Sev?"

"What about your friend Remus?" said Severus, who seemed to be in a foul mood.

"I…don't know…" Draco said. "What happened earlier with Lily?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh so who's lying now?" said Draco.

Severus looked up at him, his expression broken.

"What's going on, Sev?" Draco tried again.

"N-nothing!" cried Severus. "I just hate your friends, OKAY?!"

And he marched off into the dungeons, leaving Draco to stare after him.

What _the hell_ was going on with everyone tonight?!

Draco returned to the common room alone and settled himself in his favourite armchair at the back near one of the windows from which he could clearly see the full moon up in the dark sky. The common room was fairly crowded and noisy, since no one was hanging out in the Entrance Hall tonight. Draco pulled out his copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ and turned it to some random page, though he didn't feel like reading tonight. His mind was wandering back to his last lesson with Dumbledore…how crucial of a moment it had been. He'd actually allowed Draco to _swear_ in front of him! This so was not the same Dumbledore that Draco had previously known. Actually, now that he thought about it, he hadn't even known that Dumbledore. Not really.

Getting bored now, Draco pulled out the Marauder's Map, which James had stashed in his bag after breakfast because Claybrook was passing by, and folded it out over his book.

 _I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good,_ he muttered, his wand pointing at the cover.

The ink spread out across the map like a spider web and Draco began to fold and unfold various corners and watched random students walking about the castle.

It was the strangest week of his life, yet sitting here and spying on people with this map seemed to be about the most normal thing he'd done in a long time. He sat there, wondering how it could be that his life was _so_ different this time around. It was the same Hogwarts year, the same castle, and the same houses. Sure, it was some of the same teachers and it was definitely the same headmaster. But it was completely different on this side.

"Hey," said Lily, taking a seat on the chair next to Draco's.

"Hey," he said.

"You still haven't finished that?" Lily said, her eyes on his book under the map. "I see you reading it like all the time."

"Yeah, I guess not," he mumbled, folding up the map a little bit more but keeping it in his lap.

Lily smiled at him, and then her eyes landed on the window behind him and a sad expression crossed her face.

"Hey," said Draco, suddenly realizing that this was his golden moment. He shut the book and leaned forward. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure," said Lily, looking somewhat excited now.

"What were you and Severus talking about the other day?"

Her expression changed instantly. "H-he told you?"

"No, he didn't," said Draco. "He didn't tell me a thing."

"Well then—"

"I saw you two talking."

"Oh."

"So what were you talking about?"

Lily sighed.

"We decided it was time we talked about what's going on with us…I basically told him everything that I think of him and…he apologised…again…and again…"

"So what ended up happening?"

"I ended up telling him what kind of person I'd always reckoned he'd be," said Lily. "I told him that ever since we'd met I always imagined he'd turn out a lot like Remus or Peter are today.

"You did _what?!"_ Draco hissed.

Lily stared at him. "What?"

"You compared him to my friends?! He _hates_ them."

"Yeah well I don't really see why he can't just let it go, it's not like they bother him anymore," said Lily. "Anyway, the talk ended with us just deciding that we're not friends but we're also not enemies."

"So you've forgiven him then?" said Draco. "For what he called you last year?"

Lily cocked an eyebrow at him. "You say it like you were there."

Draco rolled his eyes and looked away from her. Her flirting was so neither here nor there and Draco really didn't have time for this nonsense. He eyed the map again, his lit wand slowly moving along the sides as he spied on the various labelled dots moving around like tiny ants. Now everything that Severus had said made sense. It was Lily's fault.

 _Wasn't it always?_ Draco thought.

"…so what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry I judged you," Lily concluded.

Draco looked up at her, startled. He hadn't even noticed that she'd been talking.

"Oh," he said. "Right. Yeah. It's fine."

"So we're good then?"

"Yep. Totally good."

"Good!"

There was silence, and Draco's eyes wandered back to the map, evidently trying to ignore Lily in her attempt to have a conversation with him. He'd been feeling a lot more like his old self lately, especially with Regulus' request that they not talk for a bit, and so ignoring Lily seemed like the perfect way to start that equation.

But as she went on rambling about some prefect stuff now, Draco's eyes finally found something on the map that could make this night a little more interesting.

And perhaps dangerous.

The dot labeled Remus Lupin was seen moving around in the Shrieking Shack at Hogsmeade, and a little dot labelled Severus Snape seemed to be slowly making its way through the tunnel in the Whomping Willow, _also_ headed for Hogsmeade.

Draco jumped from his seat, letting his copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ drop to the floor with a loud thud. Several second-year girls nearby gasped and Lily looked up at Draco, alarmed.

"Whoa, is everything okay?" she said.

Draco didn't answer right away, but continued to watch the map…to watch Severus' dot making its way closer and closer to Remus. That couldn't be right…Severus would never…would he?

And then Draco remembered the story of how Severus had almost gotten hurt the previous year when Sirius had tricked him in hopes that Remus would attack him in his wolf state.

Oh he totally would.

Panicked, Draco folded and refolded the map until he spotted James' and Sirius' dots, stationed not far from McGonagall's. And Peter's dot was with Flitwick in his office. And then an even greater thought occurred to Draco. None of the boys had any way of knowing that this was happening right now. He was the only one that knew.

"Draco," said Lily, who'd gotten up and placed her hand on his arm. "What's going on?"

Draco looked up from the map and met her emerald green eyes.

"I've got to go," he whispered, and before she could answer, he was gone.

* * *

 **One of three things happens in the next chapter... but you get to guess what:**

 **Either..**

 **a) Draco finally confronts Remus about his wolf condition**

 **b) Lily gets terribly hurt and Draco has to rescue her**

 **or**

 **c) Wilkes returns and is going to be very revengeful...too bad Remus is in his transformed state, eh?**

 **Anyyyway, you won't have to wait long. Like previously mentioned, the special will be updated within the next two days. Hopefully.**


	20. Holiday Special II

**AN : ****Here's the special, brought to you in the Remus Lupin POV. Shocker.**

 **Also, huge apologies for posting this almost a week late. But to make up for it, we'll post one more chapter before we take a break, and to make up for THAT, we're almost halfway through the chapter so it shouldn't be long now.**

 **Again, very sorry. But you know, when life gets in the way...**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 20: HOLIDAY SPECIAL II

The Shrieking Shack. 10 pm. Not a human in sight. And still, Remus' animal instincts were driving him completely out of control. Covered in a fresh sheen of sweat, he paced up and down the room, causing the old floorboards beneath him to creak noisily. Every time an owl hooted outside, Remus felt a panic and a sudden urge to growl. He began to chew nervously on his sleeve, feeling very annoyed with the clothes that he had on and wishing nothing more than to rip them off and burn them somewhere. But he knew that he would regret that later. The Christmas holidays were still a long way off and he didn't have many muggle clothes here at Hogwarts with him.

A muscle spasm. There we go. Now things were really getting started. Remus winced terribly at the pain and held his hip for a good five minutes while he bit on his lip so as to silence his screams. He really didn't fancy reading another headline in the paper about how freaked out the Hogsmeade villagers were becoming because of these mysterious howls. Dumbledore had been both clever and stupid in feeding them those rumours. Didn't he understand that the prospect of the supernatural only drew more attention, _especially_ for the wizarding community?

Once the muscle contraction was gone, Remus slid down in the corner of the room and rested his head on the wall. The sky was fairly crowded with clouds tonight, so he was yet to see the moon. But oh how he ached to get outside...to just itch his way through the floorboards, down the stairs and burst through the door...he would've gone through the window if he hadn't been on the second-floor...

His heartbeat started to quicken and he could feel heat pulsating through his body. He threw himself face-down on the bed and began practicing the breathing exercise that Madame Pomfrey had taught him three years before, but even that didn't seem to be working tonight.

 _There have been worse moons_ , he kept reminding himself. _It's already 10:30 and you still haven't hurt yourself. There have been worse moons._

The fact that the boys weren't going to be here tonight was actually really unnerving to him. They'd promised that they'd be with him, and instead, they wound up in detention at the last minute. The idiots.

 _But this was going to be for Sirius' birthday_ , a voice told him. _It wasn't even going to be about you_.

Yeah, well...it never was, was it?

Remus' jaw suddenly tightened and he let out a piercing scream that almost made him choke, causing him to fall over with a loud thud. For a couple of long minutes, all he did was scream and choke and gasp. When it finally stopped, he was lying face-down on the cold floorboards, his heart still pounding in his chest. He slowly sat himself up, head dizzy and falling, and rested himself up against the wall in the corner again. The room was now abysmally dark, making it much easier for Remus to see the moonlight coming in through the window. The clouds outside seemed to have cleared up just enough to let the moon through. Remus could feel her calling him. Every muscle ached and he felt incredibly uncomfortable in his own skin…like he wanted to rip it off or hit himself against the walls. Or both.

He let out another yell and fell back to the floor, all the while taking deep breaths and trying not to think about the villagers outside and what on earth they could be thinking right about now. The wolf was on the edge of the surface, trying to scratch its way out and take control of him. His breath hitched again and he sat back up, shaking entirely from head to toe.

He could feel the walls closing in on him and the window getting brighter and brighter as the moonlight travelled its way into the room. Remus remained in his dark corner, afraid to go nearer but at the same time aching to get outside. Or maybe that was already the wolf talking, and he was just in the way. It was so near him now that he had no idea where his thoughts ended and where the wolf's began. All he knew was that he was getting really hungry. And anxious. And mad.

His head suddenly exploded, pounding so hard that his eyes rolled in their sockets and his fist found its way to the nearest wall, smashing it so hard that he was sure he'd broken a knuckle. Panting, Remus brought both his hands to his head and started pulling at his hair, completely forgetting that his knuckle was now bleeding all over his clothes. The pain of it didn't even bother him because his head was entirely on fire.

And then, quite as suddenly as it began, the pain stopped, and all sound went silent. Remus looked up, his eyes watered from either the struggle or the dust of the room. He knew his heart was still pounding but he couldn't hear or feel it anymore. He was no longer shivering or even aware that his entire body was wet.

All that mattered was that the moonlight had reached his leg.

* * *

 _Two hours later..._

* * *

The wolf finally broke its nail free from the floorboard and stumbled backwards, growling angrily. It had been battling with the floorboard for several minutes, its nail stuck painfully in the wood. But now that it was free, it began to tear at its own fur, scratching and pulling until it couldn't bear it anymore. The wolf howled into the night and hit the window again, dying— _aching_ —to get outside. But the charms sealed around the residence were too strong for the wolf. It moaned in its frustration and jumped up against the wall on the opposite end once more.

For the next little while, that was all that the wolf did, bouncing against walls and trying to hit the window in its pathetic attempt to get out. And when that didn't work, it got frustrated and started biting its own paws and scratching at its head, pulling its ears out and clawing its own back. By the time it was half past eleven, the wolf was all scratched out and bleeding in several different places. It gave up on the windows and buried itself in a corner at the end of the room, just sitting there and waiting for it all to be over. It was total and complete torture, being locked up in a room like this, with no way to get outside where it could breathe freely.

After what felt like hours, the wolf suddenly froze. Something had fallen downstairs. Or someone.

Rising ever so slowly from its spot, it strained its ears to listen. There was definitely someone downstairs. Perhaps a mouse had gotten in somehow and was scurrying the halls for garbage to chew on. The wolf's instincts took over and it crept along the room's floorboards and began clawing at the door to get out. After it finally managed to get past the door, the fresh, beautiful, _glorifying_ smell of human presence hit its nostrils like cannon fire. At once, the wolf sped down the stairs and looked around the hall anxiously, using its animal senses to snoop out the person who had managed to get past the charms on the residence. The powerful smell seemed to lead the wolf to the trapdoor at the end hall which it had completely forgotten about. It knew the trapdoor existed and yet somehow, every moon, it forgot. It forgot who put it there and it forgot why. But the trapdoor was no longer shut, and standing just over it, was a very frightened, very frozen-looking boy with long dark hair and a pale face.

The boy stared at the wolf for a long minute. The wolf could hear his breathing. It could hear how fast his heart was breathing and how hard he was trying not to move. It could almost hear the boy's thoughts running as he tried to figure out the best way to get out of there alive. But unlucky for the boy, the wolf wasn't feeling very generous tonight.

Just when it was about to pounce on the boy and tear him limb from limb, the boy had pulled out his wand and cast a hex that made the wolf merely fall backwards. Furious, it jumped back up and hurried after the boy, who had run up the stairs and slammed the door shut behind him. The wolf tore at the door for several minutes before it finally managed to produce a hole in the wood, large enough for it to squeeze through. The boy cast a protective charm and stumbled backwards on the bed in the crooked room. He gasped and started waving his wand stupidly, casting random spells in all directions.

The wolf howled into the night as it dodged the spells, growing angrier each time it was almost hit directly with one. But when it finally reached the foot of the bed, red to seep its claws deep into the boy's skin, it stopped. Something shiny, silvery blue and big was lurking just outside the window from the corner of the wolf's eyes. The wolf turned away from the boy instantly and jumped at the window, searching for that thing. But whatever it was that had been there only seconds before, it was gone now.

Feeling angrier now (and slightly confused too), the wolf turned back to the frightened boy on the bed and began to approach him once more. And then, again, the blue, silvery thing from the window appeared and disappeared. The wolf turned back around and stared at it, not understanding what was happening...who was taunting it...and how it could get back at them...

But the longer it waited, the more the boy on the bed shook. The wolf turned back to him and the boy scrambled off of the bed and backed into the corner of the room, his wand shaking terribly in his slightly outstretched hand. The wolf considered him for a moment, wondering whether to strike now or later. But somehow, it felt more intrigued and definitely more interested in what was happening outside the window than what was happening inside the abysmal room.

It turned back to the window, and this time, the silvery blue thing stood just before it. The wolf stared at it for a long time before it finally began clawing at the window again, hopelessly trying to get out and see the thing from up close. Behind the wolf, the boy began to slowly move along the wall towards the door. But the wolf didn't care. All that interested it was the mysterious thestral and what on earth it was doing in midair just outside the wolf's room.

The thestral was now moving towards the wolf, very slowly and very carefully. Though it was on the other side of the window, it still looked too close. The wolf stared at it, confused. When the thestral raised a leg, the wolf jumped backwards but kept staring at it. It had no idea what this thestral was capable of doing but it knew that it didn't like the idea of not knowing.

Meanwhile, the boy in the room was now just by the door, one hand stretched out and reaching for the handle. But as soon as the handle turned, the wolf's head snapped back to the boy. And the boy, realizing this, made a run for it.

The wolf sped down the stairs after the boy, all the while using its senses to track him. It took several moments but the wolf finally fished out the boy in the abandoned dining room at the end of the corridor, where the boy was standing near the window, practically trembling from head to toe. At the sight of the wolf, he began scrambling in his pockets until he froze, wide-eyed, and looked up at the wolf.

"M-my..." he said, weakly.

The wolf took several steps towards him, and just when it had reached the boy, the thestral appeared again, this time inside the house and shining even bluer and brighter than before. The wolf spun on the spot, staring at the silvery blue light emitting from the gorgeous creature before it. The boy couldn't be the one responsible for this creature because he looked just as confused to see it there as the wolf was. Both stared at the creature as it slowly walked about the room, spinning several times and then guiding the way out of the room and back down the corridor. Forgetting all about the boy in the room again, the wolf followed.

It walked along the dark corridor, the silvery blue light of the thestral at the end of the hall being its only source of light. It followed the light that guided it into one of the many abandoned rooms in the Shrieking Shack. But then, the creaking of a floorboard made the wolf suddenly snap back. It had just enough time to spot the boy at the top of the stairs before the boy disappeared at the landing. The wolf chased after him.

Furious now, the wolf scrambled up the stairs noisily, growling and grouching as it bumped against the walls and sped hurriedly back into its room where it now found the boy bending down to pick up his wand and turning up against the wall to face the wolf. The boy pointed his wand at the wolf and opened his mouth to speak, but before he did, the wolf let out a loud howl, frightening the boy to the point where he dropped his wand again. Furious, the wolf sped towards the boy, stepping on his wand once and breaking it in half. The boy let out a shout and tried to dodge the wolf but the wolf managed to get its claw just across the boy's neck, leaving four red scratch marks all across it. The boy let out another yell and fell to the ground, shuddering. The wolf prepared to strike again when suddenly, from the corner of its eye, it spotted the silvery blue light at the door. The wolf turned away from the boy and looked at the thestral which was now making its way down the stairs again. Without hesitation, the wolf followed.

The wolf continued to follow the thestral along the dark, creaking corridors until it finally reached a door which, to the wolf's knowledge, had always, _always_ been closed. But it now stood ajar, letting the cool air of the night swoop in. The thestral paused for a brief moment, looked at the wolf, and then scooted its way through the door and out into the grounds. Hesitating slightly, the wolf followed.

As soon as the wolf stepped outside, its entire mood changed. It was as though it had finally stepped into the skin it had been searching for all along. Its body felt freer. The moon was pleased. The wolf wasn't angry anymore. Everything was as it should be.

Glorified, it ran into the woods where it could act the animal it was supposed to be. And the more it enjoyed itself, the more it started to realize that something was off...

Where only a few moments ago the wolf wanted nothing better than to scratch and tear that boy limb from limb, now it felt sick just considering it. Now that the wolf had finally been freed to run and chase small woodland animals as it pleased, the memory of that trembling boy back in the Shrieking Shack almost made the wolf want to weep.

And now, the wolf started to feel the wrongness in being outside—like being outside violated something important. The wolf knew deep down that it was not _supposed_ to be outside, even _if_ it craved it badly, but it also did not know how it knew this.

Feeling frightened and suddenly very alone, the wolf decided to turn back. The trouble was...there was already someone there waiting for it.

The dark-haired boy back from the Shrieking Shack was standing several feet away from the wolf, a good, _not_ broken wand in his outstretched, no-longer-trembling hand. Blood could be seen dripping from the boy's neck where the wolf had scratched him. The wolf hesitated and then took a step backwards. But the boy, who no longer looked afraid, shot out a red spell that made the wolf fall backwards instantly. The wolf whimpered as it hit the ground, not understanding what had just happened. And before it could get back up, the boy shot another spell, making a fire of pain explode at the top of the wolf's head. It let out a piercing growl and howled of the menacing pain inflicted upon it.

And then, the boy took several more steps towards the wolf. This time, the wolf acted fast. It jumped to its feet and attacked the boy right back, making _him_ fall backwards too and thus letting the wand drop to the grass. Shocked from what it had just done, the wolf stumbled backwards too, feeling very displeased with itself, again, for a reason it did not understand. It was as though something was keeping the wolf from attacking the boy any further than self defense.

And then, quite unexpectedly (but opportunely), the silvery blue light appeared again in the depths of the dark woods. The thestral walked slowly and calmly towards the wolf, while on the other side, the boy suddenly let out a scream and fell to the ground again. The wolf spun to watch as the boy was pulled by its leg across the grass.

"What the...?" said the boy, who now tried to kick his leg free.

When that didn't work, the boy started screaming and kicking harder, but whatever it was that was pulling him had its grip tight around his leg. The boy tried holding onto tree roots or grass or whatever he could grasp, but the invisible force pulling him was much too strong for him. The wolf took a step towards the boy, not wanting him to leave—not wanting to be left alone—when suddenly the blue light caught its attention again.

The thestral started walking away from the wolf, into a darker part of the forest. The wolf hesitated before following after the thestral to see where it was going.

 _"Gettoffme!"_ the boy shouted behind him.

"SEV, STOP!" another voice shouted.

The wolf stopped, recognition hitting it. Hard. It knew that voice. It had _heard_ that voice before. The wolf turned around to see two boys at the other end, one on the ground and the other standing over him with a lit wand. The two boys froze, staring at the wolf together. The wolf, feeling suddenly quite shameful, began whimpering and speeding as far away from the two boys as it could possibly get.

For some strange reason, the moon was no longer able to comfort the wolf. The feeling of freedom was suddenly sickening. Its head was pounding again. Outside was no longer pleasing, and the wolf wanted nothing more than to get back to the safety of its home—the only home that it knew during 9 moons of the year.

It began to sniff its way out of the forest until it finally smelled the abysmal comfort of the Shrieking Shack not too far away. The wolf was getting closer to it now, knowing that it would probably be better off back in its room, clawing at the walls like it usually did. After all, it was the only thing that the wolf knew.

But just before it left the woods, however, the wolf was stopped again. The thestral was back, this time looking much happier (definitely happier than the wolf felt). When the wolf tried to move away, the thestral got in its way (and quite bravely so). The wolf considered pushing it aside in order to get out of the woods, but then the thestral did something amazing. Right before the wolf's very eyes, the thestral leapt from one side to another in a skip-like, almost playful manner. The wolf started. After several more seconds, the thestral did this again. Somehow, it looked a little smaller now than it had back in the Shrieking Shack—almost as if it had changed its size purposely just so that it could level with the wolf.

The wolf, now confused, watched the thestral do this again until the thestral decided that jumping playfully back and forth was not enough. And so, without hesitation, it sped back into the woods, the silvery blue light emitting from it being the wolf's guide through the darkness. The wolf sped after the thestral, only further fueling the thestral's cheerfulness as it only seemed to run faster and faster. Finally, the wolf grew tired and slowed down. Noticing this, the thestral too, slowed to a stop.

The wolf panted slightly and tried moving to a spot it felt comfortable resting, but the thestral didn't look like it was done playing. Now growing slightly larger, it walked towards the wolf and stopped just in front of it. The wolf stared at the thestral, not knowing what to expect next. The thestral really was a gorgeous creature—so angelic-like and so nothing like the wolf itself was. And then, the thestral dropped to the ground and rolled once. The wolf fell backwards, surprised. The thestral jumped to its feet again, tilted its head, and then dropped once more and rolled again in the other direction. The wolf let out another long howl and then proceeded to copy the thestral exactly. The two rolled through the grass together, the thestral always being one step ahead of the wolf and never letting the wolf get too close, which frustrated the wolf a great deal. The game soon turned back into running as the wolf became very interested in outrunning the thestral. But the thestral was far too fast for it.

Hours seemed to pass and the wolf was not getting tired of playing the game. On the contrary, it was relieved to be able to enjoy the comfort of outside once again. It really hadn't had any desire in returning to that terrible Shrieking Shack, despite the strong feeling that had overpowered the wolf a few hours before—the feeling that to return was the right thing to do. But the thestral certainly didn't seem to agree because it kept trying to keep the wolf busy and interested in new games.

Finally, the thestral seemed to have outrun its own energy. It slowed again to a stop, now somewhere lost in the woods, and turned to look at the wolf. The two stared at each other for several long seconds—two animals completely foreign to each other. And then, without warning, the thestral vanished into thin mist which then evaporated into air. The silver and the blue were both gone and the thestral was completely vanished from sight. The wolf spun around and around, looking frantically for the creature which had been there literally only seconds ago. And then, something even greater happened. A sharp swab of pain hit the wolf hard in the arm and it fell to the ground, shrieking its howls. The pain then proceeded to hit the wolf's other arm, and then slowly its legs.

The wolf howled louder now, not even noticing the light which was slowly spreading throughout the forest and on its way to brightening up all the trees surrounding the area. The wolf rolled on its back and let out a whimper as it felt its skin burn and its head explode with fire. And then, as quickly as it had all started, it stopped, and Remus found himself lying face-down on the freezing ground, completely naked.

He let out a shuddering sigh and slowly sat up. Still shaking, Remus collected himself enough so that he could bring himself to his feet. There were several pains in his legs and arms and a few on his right hip which were now more pronounced than they had been moments ago. It took him a while to remember why he had ended up out there, in the forest, rather than in that dull room back in the Shrieking Shack.

The sun was still on its way up, making the forest relatively dark but not as dark as it had been before. Remus picked up the pace as he tried to find his way out of the forest, his body still trembling from the cold. However, once he finally reached the edge of the woods and could see the Shrieking Shack not too far from him, he stopped. His clothes—the ones that he'd taken off just before his transformation—were, strangely enough, neatly folded on the ground just next to a really tall tree. Remus stared at them, confused.

But he didn't wait to figure out why they were there or how. He hurriedly pulled them on, wincing slightly at the pain of his many bruises and wounds. When he was finally fully clothed and slightly warmer than before, he pulled out his wand which he'd safely stored in his pants pocket and whispered _'Lumos'._

He looked around the area, his head hurting a lot less now than it had before. Even though he hadn't been able to retain his human thoughts for the transformation (or for the last transformation, or for the many before that...), he was still able to keep his memories from what had happened. And now that he was back in his human form, he was able to link those memories and those images with human logic and understanding.

So that meant that wherever Snape was, he was hurt. And it was all Remus' fault.

He started walking back into the forest, looking for that thestral again. The sun was starting to brighten the area significantly and so Remus got rid of his wand light and used his hearing senses instead. Every now and then, a twig snapped somewhere, but it was only small woodland animals scurrying about in their early-morning travels.

Finally, Remus decided that he had to go about his quest another way. He pointed his wand in the air and said, very softly, ' _Homenum Revelio'._

The swooshing sensation was almost like Christmas morning to him, because it meant that he was indeed not alone. He followed the mist-like low wind that had erupted from his wand and it led him out of the woods and into a clear and open area atop a cliff. Panting slightly, but quite relieved, Remus pocketed his wand and dragged his feet up the cliff, his eyes on the small shadow sitting on top of it. A muscle in his left leg gave away and Remus grasped it tightly, all the while climbing up until he finally reached the spot where Draco was seated, also covered in mud, with cloak and map on the grass just next to him. His eyes were on the horizon where the sunrise could be seen. Draco did not turn his head as Remus took a seat next to him, or even acknowledge that he was aware Remus had joined him. But for the longest time, the two just sat there, staring at the hills sloping down to the sparkling lake on which the sunrise was now reflected.

Every now and then, Remus cast a sideways glance at Draco. He kept expecting to see a strange expression on Draco's face that would tell him he indeed was afraid of him and wanted nothing to do with him anymore. But no such expression came. Instead, Draco just sat there, coolly, completely unbothered by anything that had happened in the last couple of hours.

And then, quite unexpectedly, he turned to look at Remus and smiled. And the effect that that smile had on Remus was instantaneous. He realized that he had four of the best friends in the world that anyone could ever hope for...friends that loved him and accepted him unconditionally...friends that didn't care what he looked like for 12 nights of the year.

Suddenly, something tightened in Remus' throat and he came to a horrifying realization. Draco saw the look in his eyes and started.

"What is it?" he said.

"Snape," Remus managed to whisper. "He..."

"He's fine," Draco finished, his expression relaxed again. "He's not hurt...that bad."

"Are you sure...?"

"Yeah, he'll live," Draco said, turning his head back to the sun.

"Will he...?"

"He won't tell anyone." Remus' throat untightened. "I've seen to it that he won't."

"But are you sure—"

"Positive."

Remus sighed. At this point, it didn't even matter that much. Perhaps he was just too tired from the moon to even care right now. The adrenaline had not yet left his body and he was still trying to wrap his mind around all that had happened in the last few hours. Maybe tomorrow it would hit him that Severus Snape actually knew his greatest secret and would probably blackmail him for the rest of time. Maybe tomorrow it would hit him that Snape's entire neck was scratched out because of Remus, or that his wand was completely snapped in half, or that for some reason he had a _second_ wand that probably did not belong to him. But for now, Remus didn't have to care about it. All he cared about was that Draco knew. And he _wasn't_ running.

And now, things would be so much easier. The lies and the secrets and the excuses…it would all come to an end. Feeling suddenly very tired from the night's events, Remus let out a deep sigh.

"Yeah," Draco said. "Quite a night."

"Guys?" said Sirius' panting voice.

Remus and Draco jumped to their feet and turned to find James, Sirius _and_ Peter all standing atop the cliff with them, looking exhausted from running.

"Hi," said Remus, slowly. "What are you guys all doing here?"

James looked round at the other boys and then stared back at Remus and Draco.

"The question is, what are _you_ guys doing here?" he said.

* * *

 **If you enjoyed, do review. If you didn't, send us your hate below. Seriously. Do it.**

 **Oh and congrats to pretty much everyone...you were right, it was Option A :)**


	21. Secrets

**AN : And thus the long-awaited chapter where secrets are revealed...**

 **This is the last chapter we're posting before our much-needed break. This is also a really good place to pause, plot-wise. You'll find that, when we come back, things will have shifted a lot in the story. That means, expect a time jump. Anyway, enjoy the break and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 21: SECRETS

"Thanks," said Draco, accepting the sweater that James tossed at him now.

He hadn't exactly thought of everything when he'd decided to go after Remus in the middle of an end-of-October night. And the three boys who'd arrived were fairly warm-dressed. As he pulled the sweater on, the three boys whispered to each other and then crossed their arms.

"What?" said Draco.

"What are you guys doing here?" James repeated.

"We...uh..." said Draco, looking sideways at Remus and wondering how much he should say.

Remus glanced back at him and then at the three confused boys in front of him.

"We had a long overdue talk," he finally said.

James' expression changed instantly.

"You did?" said Sirius, slowly.

Draco looked at Remus again, who gave him an encouraging nod.

"Yeah," he said, glancing at Sirius. "We did."

A smile spread across Sirius' face and Peter raised his eyebrows.

"Well," said Sirius, glancing sideways at the boys awkwardly, "Um, that's good!"

"Y-yeah...it is..." said Peter.

There was silence.

"So..." said Draco.

"So..." said James.

Draco put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground, whistling lowly.

"Okay I'm just gonna come right out and say this," said James, impatiently.

" _Please_ , yes," said Draco, who was glad _someone_ had finally caught on.

James turned to Remus.

"What does he know? Exactly?"

Remus bit his lip and looked at Draco.

"I know enough," Draco answered, feeling suddenly so relieved that he could actually say these words for once, instead of just fantasize about saying them.

"But..." said Peter, who had been the quietest of the three, "How did you find out?" Draco turned to look at him. "And how did you know what he would...would look like...and act like...?"

"Yeah, you know what, I think this is a story we all need to hear," said Sirius, who suddenly took a seat on the grass, crossed his legs and looked up at Draco. A split second later, the rest of the boys did the same, until Draco finally decided to join them.

"Aren't you cold too?" he asked Remus.

Remus shrugged.

"Moony's body temperature works a bit…differently than the rest of us," said Sirius.

"Ah," said Draco. The boys waited. "Well to be fairly honest with your guys, I've actually known for quite some time." Remus' mouth fell open.

 _"_ How long?" he croaked.

Three years...

"Just a few weeks," Draco said. "I didn't find out from anyone though, I swear!"

For some reason, he couldn't stand the idea of anyone thinking that _Dumbledore_ had told him other students' secrets.

"Well then how—?"

"Sirius, let him finish," said James, boldly.

Draco paused. "I suppose I just...saw the signs and everything..."

"What signs?" said Peter.

Draco let out a laugh. "You're joking, right?" The boys stared at him. Draco's smile faded. "You lot couldn't have been more obvious! The way Remus kept getting mad at teachers…the pathetic excuses you guys came up with to cover up why you were gone on the moon..."

"You weren't fooled one bit, were you?" said James, sniggering.

Draco shook his head. "And not to mention all the whispered conversations."

"But we didn't make excuses _this_ time," said Peter.

"Yeah, why is that?" said Draco.

Peter shrugged.

"Well actually," said James, letting out a nervous laugh, "We figured we'd tell you this weekend."

"Yeah I mean you're not exactly an idiot and everything," said Sirius. "We didn't think we'd be able to keep it from you for much longer."

"When were you gonna tell me?" said Draco, who couldn't believe the trouble he'd gone to tonight when the boys were gonna tell him anyway.

The boys glanced at each other.

"After the Halloween feast," said Sirius, "Tonight."

"Guess you fooled us though," said Peter, brightly.

Draco grinned.

The sky was getting brighter now as the sunlight slowly spread throughout the grounds, bringing with it slightly warmer air.

"So you knew the entire time why we were out on the full moon last month and why we acted weird before it and why Moony kept getting sick and how he didn't go home to his sick mum because she wasn't sick and—"

"Yes, Sirius, I knew it all," said Draco, rolling his eyes. "I do however wonder what you guys were doing with him on that full moon while you lot were out in the forest." The boys froze and Draco let out another nervous laugh. "I mean from what I saw tonight, it's not a piece of cake."

James caught Remus' eye for a brief second before looking round at Sirius and then at Peter.

"We…" said Sirius.

Everyone now looked at Remus, who hadn't said a word in a while and was staring down at his lap, his hands fondling with some grass that he'd picked.

"Remus," said James suddenly. The boy looked up at his friend. "It's time." There was another pause. "We're ready. You just have to say the word."

Remus looked at the others, and then a split second later he sighed and waved his hand.

"I'll take that as a yes," Sirius told James.

Excited, the pair of them jumped to their feet with Peter just seconds behind them. But before Draco could even open his mouth to ask what the hell was going on, he found all breath sucked right out of him. Where only two seconds before stood three, widely-grinning, _very_ excited boys, there now stood a large deer-like animal, a charming black dog, and a small, grey rat. Draco stumbled backwards, his eyes round as he stared at the three creatures standing awfully still before him. Remus hadn't even flinched since they'd transfigured. He just watched them calmly before his eyes landed on Draco.

"Meet Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail," he sighed.

The black dog walked over to where Draco was sitting on the grass. Draco flinched away from him but the dog only moved closer and began licking his hand. Draco stared at it, then looked up at the deer that was somehow _smiling_ at him. And then the rat jumped onto his leg and settled itself there.

 _That_ was the last thing Draco remembered when he woke up some time after that to find himself lying on the grass and James slapping his face.

"I'm up, _I'm up!"_ he exclaimed.

James, Sirius and Peter helped him sit up and he looked around. They were still sitting on the chilly hill and it was still sunrise. Remus had evidently moved from his spot before and was looking slightly more concerned now.

"Wha..." said Draco.

"You fainted, mate!" said Sirius. "I gotta be honest with you—it's a rather dim reaction. Are you sure you're a wizard?"

"Yeah, I would've thought you'd have known all about animagi, given your unusual childhood with Dumbledore and everything," said James.

"I didn't faint!" Draco managed to get out.

James' eyebrows rose.

"I...was shocked, that's all," said Draco, slowly. "I was just…trying to figure out what to say…"

"With your eyes closed?" said Sirius, amused.

"It helps me concentrate," Draco muttered without looking at him.

Sirius' grin widened.

"Guys, he's been out all night, running after a wolf in the cold," said Remus. "And he probably hasn't eaten in a while. It's actually understandable that he'd faint." He turned to look at Draco. "So there's your answer. That's how they've been keeping me in check. Every time I transformed, they transformed with me and accompanied me in the Shrieking Shack...That place has been built especially for my transformations...by Dumbledore himself."

"And the tunnel that leads to it ends at the Whomping Willow," said James. "That's why it's there."

"And no one knows this except us and the teachers," said Peter.

"And Madame Pomfrey," said Remus.

"And Snape," James added, giving Sirius a look.

"But if you always came to the Shrieking Shack then why were you in the woods last month?" Draco asked Remus. "I followed you lot to the Forbidden Forest. That's...that's _why_ I was there!"

 _"Actually?!"_ cried James, looking suddenly relieved.

But Remus was now glaring at Sirius.

"A while back, _someone_ thought it'd be funny to play a joke on Severus Snape...and it sparked his curiosity...and his interest."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, looking round at Sirius who suddenly became very quiet.

"Snape was in Hogsmeade last month on the full moon," James explained.

"What was he doing in Hogsmeade?"

"He was trying to find me out," Remus answered, his eyes on the grass again. "He's been trying to do that for quite some time now."

"Why?"

"There have been... _incidents_...in the last couple of years…" said James, quietly.

"Not pretty ones," said Peter.

"But equally real," Remus finished, in a whisper-like tone.

"Yeah?" said Draco.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "So every once in a while, we've had to change our...transforming locations."

There was silence. Draco could hear some birds chirping somewhere in the distance and knew that soon, staff and students would start waking up. Although, it _was_ a Saturday and still quite early.

"How long have you guys...?"

"Just over a year," answered James. "But we've been trying since fourth year."

"But..."

"Can I tell it?" Sirius suddenly said. "You lot will give him your twisted, long versions and I can make this quick and simple."

"Go for it," shrugged James.

Sirius clapped his hands once and took a deep breath, his eyes on Draco again.

"We became friends in first year, and you can imagine how well that went for us, always wondering where our friend was disappearing off to and why he was happy one minute and pissed the next, soooooo we did a little investigating and admittedly it took some time but eventually we figured it out in about third year and confronted our little wolf friend until he actually let us accompany him in the hospital wing on the nights proceeding the full moons, but then we saw how much he was actually suffering and decided to plot and devise a plan to fix this, hence came forth our brilliant idea of turning animagi." He took a deep breath. " _So_ , that pretty much sums up the majority of our fourth year at Hogwarts, with the three of us spending our time researching and practicing and plotting and planning, and then this one—" he pointed his thumb at Remus, "—kept trying to talk us out of it and feeding us all these excuses of potential consequences and yada, yada, yada. _So_ , after careful consideration, plenty of research and sleepless nights and great determination, we finally managed to turn animagi by the end of fourth year."

"So you've only ever accompanied him in last year's moons," Draco concluded.

"Precisely," said Sirius.

Draco sighed. That _was_ a lot of information.

"Wait so where the hell were you guys last night then?" Draco finally remembered to ask. "Your detention couldn't have lasted all night. I was in the common room with...um, I mean I was reading there and then I saw in the map that Snape was headed for the Shrieking Shack where Remus' dot was labelled and I just followed my gut instincts and ran after him!" He paused to look at the three boys. "I'd have thought that once you lot returned to the dormitory you'd have noticed me gone...I mean, I _did_ leave my books behind..."

"Yeah, but apparently not my cloak," said James, his eyes gesturing to the silk pile on the ground next to Draco. Draco blushed slightly. "Seriously mate, when I said you could borrow it whenever you wanted to, I was kinda hoping you'd at least have the decency to _tell_ me that you're taking it."

"It's a bit hard to do that when you're off in detention with McGonagall," Draco muttered.

"Yeah, but still," James mumbled.

"We got sidetracked by Madame Pomfrey," Peter explained. Draco and Remus turned to look at him. "We met up in the common room and we noticed you were gone so we went looking for you around the castle 'cause you took the map with you and we couldn't just look you up, but then we heard Madame Pomfrey raging in the hospital wing."

"We came in there and saw her scolding Snivellus and prodding him for information," said Sirius.

"But he didn't say anything," James added, seeing the look of worry on Remus' face. "To _her_ anyway," he added momentarily.

"We...questioned him...afterwards..." said Sirius.

James scoffed. "Yeah, and by _questioned_ , he means that Sirius pushed him up against a wall and threatened the information out of him."

"Guys…" said Draco.

"It's fine, it's all good," said Sirius. "He told us where you two were and we meant to go after you."

"But then Pomfrey made us go back to the tower," said James.

"And she made sure that we stayed there until sunrise," said Peter.

"So you waited until a minute _after_ sunrise to come out here," said Draco, nodding.

"At that point, we'd hoped Remus had only crushed _one_ of your legs and perhaps a couple of ribs but nothing more..." said James, thoughtfully.

"Actually, I was betting him no leg and just the ribs," said Sirius, proudly. He winked at Draco. "We always knew you could handle yourself."

Draco grinned at him.

The sun shone brighter now, cueing the boys to their feet as they yawned and stretched. Remus, Draco noticed, was still very quiet and his eyes kept travelling to the ground.

"Come on before Pomfrey realizes we got out of the tower after all," said Sirius, who now began leading the way back down the cliff to the village below.

Draco looked over his shoulder at the Shrieking Shack again before following the boys through the cold.

Thankfully, it was still quite early and so the village was completely deserted and quiet. The boys felt no need to sneak back using any tunnels or even James' cloak, which was strapped safely against his shoulder now, along with the Marauder's Map sticking out of his back pocket. They walked calmly across the village streets, paying no attention whatsoever to the owls hooting above, on their way to deliver the morning post.

Draco was walking alongside Remus at the very back of the group. And just as the boys turned the corner and began descending down the path leading to the castle, Draco's patience reached its limit.

"Oy!" he hissed, poking Remus at the elbow.

Remus instantly looked up. "What's up?"

"You tell me," said Draco. "Why are you acting so weird?"

"I'm not," Remus mumbled.

Draco scoffed and looked away from him.

"I...guess I never did thank you," Remus slowly began, speaking in a low voice so that the others wouldn't hear, "You know, for what you did back there...with your patronus and everything."

"Um...yeah...you know, don't mention it," said Draco, dismissively.

"It was brilliant."

"Well I just did the first thing that came to mind..."

It was the truth, anyway. And to say that Draco himself hadn't been surprised with his abilities was an understatement. It really was a bitch to have to keep his concentration all night while he wrestled with Severus at the same time.

"So," said Remus, looking nervous, "You don't...I mean you're...alright with it?"

Draco raised his eyebrows at him and let out a small grin. "Totally and completely."

Remus breathed.

"Was there ever a doubt in your mind that I would be?" Draco asked, amused.

"Being the way I've been for most of my childhood? Yeah, of course there was a doubt," Remus answered. "Not many are accepting of my kind."

Draco laughed.

"What?" said Remus.

"You're a kind!" said Draco. "You actually have your own _kind_."

Beside him, Peter laughed too. But James and Sirius, who were walking ahead, were too busy discussing some Quidditch stuff.

But Remus didn't laugh, and when Draco noticed, he rolled his eyes at him.

"Oh come _on_ ," he said. "You can't seriously still be upset?"

Remus only shrugged.

"Hey," said Draco, stopping him for a second. "I'm not gonna ditch you now just 'cause you know that I know. Are you forgetting that I've known for a while now? That this isn't news to me?"

Remus only looked at him.

"And I'm not gonna tell anyone," Draco added, not knowing what could possibly be bothering Remus at this point.

Remus' face finally relaxed. "I'm not worried about _that_ , I know you won't."

"Well then what's—?"

"I just feel bad about tonight," he finally admitted.

"About Severus? He'll be fiiiine!"

"Not Severus," said Remus. "I feel bad about what you had to do to keep me in check...about all the trouble that you went to. I know how to produce the Patronus Charm, and it's hard enough making a full-bodied one, but keeping it up for several hours, keeping that concentration _and_ trying to get some git of a student to stop attacking a live wolf all at the same time...it's not a piece of cake."

"It was nothing," Draco shrugged, but Remus was now shaking his head furiously.

"It's _not_ nothing," he argued. "It's something. It's huge! It's amazing that you managed to do all that and it's...nothing like I've ever seen before..." he sighed and looked on at the boys who were still walking and hadn't noticed that Draco and Remus were no longer following them. "They've risked a lot to help me. And now you have too."

"What can I say?" said Draco. "It looks like you have four of the best friends in the whole world."

Remus turned back to him with a grateful smile. "Totally."

When the boys finally got back to the castle, most of their classmates were enjoying breakfast up in the Great Hall and reading their morning editions of the Prophet. But the boys turned away from the Hall and headed up to the hospital wing instead. There, Madame Pomfrey was waiting to do her usual assessment of Remus post full moon.

"So she knows about you guys being animagi?" Draco whispered to Sirius once they'd finally arrived and Remus moved to sit on one of the beds.

"Nah," said Sirius. "She just knows that we know he's a werewolf."

"Well then how—?"

"Before we became animagi, she used to go through the Whomping Willow tunnel to greet Remus in the Shrieking Shack after his transformations. And then she'd help him back to the castle and treat him here. But then we became animagi and we told her that we knew about him and we mutually agreed that we would be the ones to bring him to her while she'd have the medicine and all the treatments already prepared for him right here."

Madame Pomfrey now handed Remus a small bottle with purple liquid which he drank down in one gulp and handed back to her. She moved to fetch the bandages and began fondling with his left arm while dabbing a wet cloth on his upper brow. The rest of the boys sat on the other beds and waited quietly.

Draco moved to stand near one of the windows and looked ahead at the Quidditch Pitch which could be seen in the distance.

"So he knows now too?" he heard Madame Pomfrey ask, quietly.

"Yeah," Remus answered.

Madame Pomfrey said nothing, and Draco kept looking through the window, pretending he hadn't heard.

It was true. He knew everything now. He really did. And while that meant he didn't have to hide it anymore and that things would be better now, it also meant that he was the only one with a secret now, and that when the time came, he'd feel even guiltier about it.

After the hospital wing, the boys went to the common room to get that much-needed sleep, since James, Sirius _and_ Peter all claimed that, despite being stuck in the tower for the night, they didn't get any sleep at all. And Draco _knew_ that he and Remus hadn't gotten any sleep at all. And so, the boys collapsed in their dormitory and slept. And slept. And slept all to the point when Frank finally burst into their dormitory with raised eyebrows.

"GET UP, YOU LAZY GITS!" he yelled, punching each of them with a pillow until they finally scrambled out of bed.

"What time is it?" Sirius yawned.

"It's just after supper," Frank announced. "You lot have been sleeping all day, what's up with that?"

"It was a long night," James answered.

"Ah," said Frank, turning to Sirius. "You lot got drunk off your arses again, huh?"

"What?" said Draco.

"I'll tell you later," smiled Sirius.

The boys dressed and went down to the common room to hang out with some people until it was time for the Halloween Feast, at which point the Gryffindors were super stoked, for a reason Draco did not yet know.

Draco had been to the Halloween Feast six times before, and each of those times had been loads better than this one was. The food was of course the same—glorious as usual—and the pumpkins floated over the heads of staff and students. But the ghosts didn't do their presentation after the food had been served, and Dumbledore didn't even acknowledge the hall at any point during the feast. Wondering what was up with all that, Draco ate in silence and occasionally looked over at the Slytherin table, where the gang was sitting in its usual spot. They were all talking amongst themselves but Severus and Regulus were the only quiet ones.

Draco sighed sadly. It felt like it had been ages since he'd last talked to Regulus. Had he ruined that relationship for good?

With Wilkes gone, he'd essentially hoped that Regulus would be around slightly better influences and perhaps wouldn't completely fall into that dark path that he'd been so clearly headed for. But now, Draco was starting to think that he'd maybe underestimated the influence of the rest of the gang. Or in this case, Severus.

His eyes landed on Severus now, who was eating quietly with his head bent. Several white bandages were covering the side of his neck and it looked like he had a couple on the side of his head too. He looked absolutely terrible...and miserable, too. Draco watched him with sad eyes.

For all he knew, Severus could have already reached that dark path and was probably pulling Regulus down with him. For all he knew, Severus was a master Legilimens now and could be playing Draco completely. For all he knew, Severus was exactly the type of person that he'd shown to him earlier that morning—that angry, violent kid from back in the forest who was stupidly trying to attack a _wolf_ just to prove a point.

But Draco knew in his heart that he just had to have more faith in Severus...

…especially now.

At the end of the feast, all the students returned to their common rooms instead of the Entrance Hall hangout. Draco doubted it would come back on anytime soon, but he also didn't really mind it. He had to start heading up to Dumbledore's anyway. But just as he was about to part ways with the Marauders, Mary showed up with a handwritten note which she gave to Draco.

"What's this?" he asked her, unfolding it.

"Dumbledore told me to give it to you," she said, simply.

She gave Sirius an acknowledging nod and went on her way. The boys waited as Draco opened the note, and when he finally looked up, he grinned.

"Looks like I have tonight off," he announced.

"So Dumbledore's finally deciding to acknowledge Halloween?" said Sirius, brightly.

"Nah, he just has to run some errands tonight," said Draco, pocketing the note and continuing up the stone steps to the tower. "Speaking of, though, why didn't he acknowledge it at the feast?"

The boys all fell silent.

"Does he not like Halloween or something?" Draco guessed.

He already knew why the ghosts hadn't done their bit. It was probably Dumbledore's orders—to keep the ghosts out of the spotlight for now so that no Slytherin parents would petition to have them removed from Hogwarts altogether. It was doubtful they'd forget their last performance anytime soon. After all, it had been completely _brilliant_ , in Draco's professional opinion. And now that he thought about it, he still hadn't gone to thank Myrtle for all her hard efforts.

"It's because of the war," Peter answered quietly. "Whenever things get really bad, Dumbledore assumes it's best not to mention any festivities or anything like that..."

"You know, out of respect to the students suffering," said Remus.

"Who's suffering?" Draco wondered.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Haven't you seen the Prophet today?"

"You have?" said Draco.

"Well yeah, I got a hold of a copy," said Sirius.

"There's been another raid," said James. "And it was a pretty bad one."

"Emily in fourth year lost her uncle to it," Remus added. "And Elijah from Hufflepuff...I reckon he's a fifth year? His parents died too."

"Damn," said Draco. "That sucks."

"Yeah, it damn right sucks," said James, bitterly, "But apparently, all the Ministry cares about nowadays is adding more pathetic dementors to that loathsome prison…that, _and_ what dear old Harold Minchum's hair is gonna look like tomorrow."

Draco grinned, amused at how passionate James was about the issue...much like Lily, actually.

Peter sighed. "It's been a terrible weekend so far."

"Yeah and we didn't even get to celebrate your birthday properly," Draco told Sirius.

"Yeah," said Sirius, finally stopping in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. "It's too bad, though."

"I mean, wouldn't it be great if we could get a hold of some liquor right now and make one heck of a night out of it?" said James.

"It really would," said Sirius, sadly. "It's too bad there's no way of doing that..."

"Sugarplums," Remus told the portrait.

As soon as it sprung open, Draco's eardrums _exploded_.

Inside was a massive party going on, with shouting and laughing and drinks pouring all around. The boys—mainly Sirius—were dragged into the center of it amidst loud cheers and shouts.

Draco laughed as he watched several of Frank's friends lift Sirius into the air and cheer to him finally coming of age, even if his birthday was technically yesterday.

Draco only accepted one drink, but before long, he was having another and another to the point where he felt like he needed to sit down. Remus was already sitting in one of the armchairs near the windows, away from the excitement but still watching with an amused smile. Draco stumbled over to join him, and Remus laughed as he collapsed on the neighbouring chair.

"You okay there, pal?" said Remus.

"I have a headache," Draco mumbled, leaning back against the chair and closing his eyes.

Remus laughed again, and then leaned forwards. "So, a thestral, huh?"

Draco grinned, his eyes still shut.

"I never would've thought," Remus said, a few seconds later.

"Surprised that you could see it?" Draco mumbled.

"Well actually," said Remus, sparking interest as Draco slowly turned his head to look at him.

"Actually what?"

"A patronus is a patronus...even a thestral," said Remus. "So anyone can see it, whether or not they've seen death is irrelevant."

"Really?" said Draco. "I didn't know that."

"It's not the real thing," Remus shrugged. "Because at the end of the day, it's still only a patronus."

Draco nodded thoughtfully.

"But it was still a very creative way to distract me while I was…well…"

Draco shut his eyes again and leaned back.

"Just wait until I turn into an animagus... _then_ it'll be a party."

* * *

 **Bet you thought the marauders would finally learn Draco's secret...**

 **HAHAHA AS IF!**

 **Soooooo much more has to happen, people. Sorry to disappoint.**

 **But hope you loved the chapter nonetheless XD _And_ , hope you loved the bomb that Draco just dropped in that last line ^**

 **Bet Remus will love that...**


	22. The Servile Serpent

**AN** **: Hey guys! It's good to be back! First chapter of the year and it's gonna be a brilliant one! So just a little background first...think of this as the premiere of a new season on "Marauding the Timeline" hahah You'll see a lot of changes in this month of the story and they're all gonna be fast-paced.**

 **The next special will be published when we feel like it because as it turns out, our lives are too busy at the moment for us to be able to publish in time for holidays and special occasions. It was a good idea until it stopped working for us. Sorry guys! But real life comes first.**

 **Hope everyone had a great new year though! And a special Christmas too.**

 **So at this point in the story, you'll see several time jumps. Now that Draco knows everything and the Marauders know that he knows everything, you'll see just how much this changes their relationship with him. You'll also start to see a change in how Dumbledore talks to Draco. You'll also see a lot of the wizarding war progressing. And more relationship stuff is coming after the holidays in the story.**

 **Thanks and enjoy the chapter! SOOO good to be back.**

 **Disclaimer** **: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 22: THE SERVILE SERPENT

 _"Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction on how to produce it. But know this, wicked is as wicked comes. And to create such wickedness, a wizard must not cherish the thing he ought to cherish the most—his soul."_

Draco's fingertip ran along these words, taking them in with caution. He surveyed the page carefully, his mind filling up with files of information he wasn't yet ready to process. The book was helpful, yeah, but it still wasn't answering the questions he desperately needed answered. And soon, too.

James abruptly filled the seat in front of him then, making him look up in alarm and completely forget the passage he'd just read. He was mighty shocked to see him there, and was about to smile too, when he suddenly noticed the strange (dark, even) look on James' face. The smile that had been hinting its way onto his face was instantly gone.

"What's wrong?" Draco said, preparing for the worst, sure that James would finally tell him now. Tonight.

James gave him a long, hard look, before answering, in a very un-James voice, "There's something you need to know..."

* * *

 _48 days before_

* * *

 _"NO,"_ Remus repeated for probably the hundredth time that week.

"Come on," said James.

"No way!" Remus continued. "Nuh-uh. Not happening. Nope."

"Well it's not really your decision to make, is it, Moony?" said Draco.

"Ouch," said Sirius, letting out a low whistle.

It was Wednesday afternoon, the middle of November, and the five friends were walking down the corridor to the dungeons for their last lesson of the day. It had been a long day, especially since James had insisted that Draco and Sirius wake up early to go on a morning run with him, despite their having first period off. But today also marked the eighteenth day that the boys had spent trying to convince Remus that Draco joining them as an animagus was their most brilliant idea yet.

"I don't care how amazing you think it'll be, Draco, the answer's no," he kept repeating. But Draco wasn't taking any of this seriously. After all, it _wasn't_ Remus' decision to make. And Draco had already made up his mind, even on Halloween. He was going to do this.

James and Sirius were completely on board, and Peter too. They had even already taken the liberty of writing out all the rules and instructions for the procedure for Draco to have a look over. But Remus was going to be a piece of work. They all knew this.

The procedure was complicated as all hell, of course, but nothing Draco couldn't handle. He knew he'd need help with the leaf part though, but everything else ought to be pretty easy. After all, he'd learned the Patronus Charm pretty quickly, even surprising Dumbledore, not to mention himself. How hard could it be to become an animagus, really?

If Peter Pettigrew could manage it...

"Pete's the only one of us who can't do the full form of the Patronus Charm," Sirius had explained to him one night. "But he's a damn good animagus, I'll tell you that."

"Rat, right?"

"Yep. He mastered it right around the same time that we all did actually."

"How long did it take overall?"

"Two months."

Draco couldn't believe it. Sirius talked about it like it was so damn easy. Two whole months spent working on one procedure. That was commitment, right there.

"Ah, come in, come in everyone, I have a very interesting lesson planned for today," Professor Slughorn declared once they reached the Potions room in the dungeons.

The five friends automatically made for their usual table before anyone else could try to steal it away. Draco bumped into Mary on the way there and she gave him a smile in return. He occupied a seat in between Sirius and Peter and flipped through his _Advanced Potion Making_ book, feeling too tired and out of it for an "interesting lesson".

Luckily, Slughorn's idea of an "interesting lesson" was one he'd already perpetrated, or rather, _would_ perpetrate years later when Draco was really supposed to be doing his sixth year at Hogwarts. It was a complete repeat of his lesson on the advanced functions of alchemy and its many properties and historical significances. None of it was news to Draco so, despite his total fascination with alchemy, he spent the lesson doodling randomly in his notebook while passing notes with Sirius, as per usual.

 _We can start the animagus process with you this weekend if you're ready for it_ , he suggested.

 _What about Remus,_ Draco asked in spite of himself. He knew he wasn't going to ask his friend's permission to do this, but he still didn't feel right about doing it without his approval.

 _Remus will be thanking you later when you're with us on our moon adventures,_ Sirius wrote.

Draco smiled at the idea of accompanying his friends on one of their full moons. It was definitely something he looked forward to.

 _Perhaps next weekend. I've got to meet Dumbledore this weekend and he's already cancelled the next meeting because of Quidditch so we can do this after the match._

Sirius nodded his approval. He, out of all the marauders, was most excited for this.

After Slughorn's lesson, Draco excused himself from the boys to go and meet Severus down in the seventh floor corridor. It had been nearly a week since they'd last talked, mainly because of how busy classes were getting, so he definitely wanted this opportunity to see him. But unfortunately, when Draco met him, he realized that Severus was not going to drop this 'following puppy' act anytime soon, like he'd hoped he would.

Ever since the moon, or rather, since Draco's little talk with Severus day after Halloween, Severus had been acting very mysteriously obedient and proper and normal…he was agreeing with everything Draco was saying and telling him all the things that Draco wanted to hear. He was acting like...like...like _Draco_ was now Wilkes...looking up to him, afraid to speak when not spoken to... it was driving Draco absolutely _mad!_ He'd of course been relieved when he'd managed to convince Severus to keep quiet about Remus, but _this_ wasn't what he'd had in mind.

Wilkes had taken up residency at St. Mungo's at the end of October and was reportedly there ever since, so not having him around definitely made things easier with Severus, but Draco had no desire whatsoever to become the new troop leader for the Slytherin Gang. Not in this timeline, anyway.

As for Regulus, that situation had sadly not improved in the slightest. Draco hadn't spoken to the kid (or rather, the other way around) in over three weeks, and therefore had no idea what was going on in his life. But there was one thing Draco knew for sure, even now. He wasn't giving up on Regulus just yet.

"I've spoken with him but he's been fairly quiet ever since Wilkes..." said Severus now, his voice trailing off slightly. "I-I can try talking to him again if it'll help."

"No that's fine," said Draco. "Don't bother him with it—he'll come to me when he's ready."

"Alright," said Severus.

Draco sighed. He really didn't like him talking to him like this and he knew that one of these days he was going to flip. And it wasn't going to be pretty.

"The others aren't really doing much these days either," he continued now. "I mean, not that I know anyway...let's face it, they've seen me hanging out with you a lot and, considering who you're friends with, well...they don't really tend to tell me much anymore."

"Maybe that's for the best, Severus," said Draco.

"I don't know, you think?" said Severus, uncertainly. "I mean, yeah you're probably right."

Yeah, it definitely wasn't going to be pretty.

After his meeting with Severus, Draco stopped by the library to stock up on books for the Charms essay that Flitwick had assigned earlier that day. He spotted Mary and Lily sitting in a corner table, whispering about something, but didn't bother coming over to say hi. They hadn't noticed him there either so it wasn't like he was obligated to.

He found all the books that he needed and approached Madame Pince's desk when his eye suddenly caught a figure lurking near the "Restricted Section" double doors on the front end. Draco narrowed his eyes at Regulus, who caught his eye suddenly and quickly walked away before Draco could even approach him.

"Mr. Black?" said Madame Pince, impatiently.

Draco turned to look at her.

"What?" he said.

"Your books," she said, tapping her foot.

Draco looked back at the "Restricted Section" double doors and then at the frustrated librarian.

"Oh," he said, stepping towards her and dumping them on the desk.

She pulled out her quill and started marking down the books on her list. Then, she handed it to him and he signed his initials while still checking the double doors every few seconds.

"Great, thanks," he told her, taking the books in his arms and turning to leave.

"Who's D.M?" she called after him.

Draco froze.

"Mr. Black, I don't have time for your funny games! If you need to take out a book for someone else then _they_ need to be here to—"

"You misread it, Madame," he said quickly, turning back and grabbing the quill from her to scribble a large letter 'B' over the M. He then gave her an apologetic look and hurried out of the library before anyone could fully comprehend what had just happened. He didn't slow down until he reached Gryffindor Tower, at which point he ran into Frank and a couple of his seventh-year buddies.

"Hey Draco, watcha doin' there?" Frank asked, while his friends carried on, neverminding that he was no longer walking with them.

"Just a visit to the library, Frank," Draco said, simply, gesturing to the armful of books.

Frank took one look at them and then shook his head. "I always thought you'd become a James or a Sirius, but never a Remus."

Draco grinned and bumped fists with Frank before he left again.

He spent the next couple of days dreading the thing he knew he had no way to get out of—his meeting with Dumbledore on Saturday night. For the last couple of meetings, Dumbledore told him to pretend like the thing with Wilkes never happened and to just focus on his legilimency. And this was easy enough to do, except that the more Draco practiced legilimency, or rather, the closer he got to figuring it out, the more he realized that Severus was close to figuring it out too. Or at least, he knew how to block it. Well.

But Dumbledore didn't help Draco get his mind off the lessons by looking at him all the time in the Great Hall. Even when he wasn't there, Draco could somehow feel him watching him, and it was irritating as all hell.

So then finally, on Saturday night, Draco left the marauders in the common room and headed down to Dumbledore's office, keeping in mind that whatever excuse he used this time, he still wouldn't be able to fool Dumbledore into thinking that he'd been practicing controlling his mind, like he'd promised he would.

As usual, he knocked three times on Dumbledore's door before letting himself in. And as usual, he found Dumbledore at his desk, writing something on a piece of paper. He looked up, smiled, tapped the paper with his wand to make it disappear, and gestured at the chair in front of him, just like he did every meeting. Draco pulled his wand out and set it on the table as he slipped into his usual spot. And Dumbledore's smile lessened slightly.

"You look very tired, Draco, is something the matter?"

"I was just up late studying, sir," Draco lied.

Dumbledore probably already knew that he and James had goofed around the castle with his invisibility cloak instead of sleeping like they were supposed to.

"Well, are you feeling up to some practice tonight?"

"Definitely," Draco responded.

He then noticed the long red line printed on Dumbledore's left cheek. He was about to ask him about it when Dumbledore suddenly frowned.

"You know, Draco, I feel like we have already mastered down your focus and energy levels. Perhaps you are ready to start working with the wand?"

Draco stared at him to see if he was serious.

"Are you...?" he said, not even believing it himself. "You really think I'm ready for that, professor?"

Dumbledore smiled again and handed Draco his wand. "Let's just give it a try, shall we?"

Draco took the wand, rotated it between his fingers a couple of times and then stood from his chair at the same time that Dumbledore stood from his. They moved to the open area of the office and stood facing each other. Dumbledore placed his hands behind his back and waited. Draco noticed that he'd left his own wand on his desk.

"Wait but sir," he said, suddenly, "If you don't have your wand with you then you can't protect yourself in case something goes wrong!"

"Then I must trust that nothing will go wrong," Dumbledore said simply.

Draco frowned. Well this wasn't any pressure at all!

"Whenever you're ready," Dumbledore said.

Draco closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. Hand shaking slightly, he pointed his wand at Dumbledore and concentrated very hard on connecting their minds. He thought of every moment that they had shared in this timeline, starting at the very beginning and slowly working his way up to the present day. He skimmed over the patronus lessons or any of the emotional stuff, so as not to let his emotions get the best of him again, and thought instead of all the other moments and all the things they'd talked about. Then, once he felt that his mind was fully and completely concentrated, he uttered the incantation _Legilimens_.

Dumbledore instantly let out a groan and bent down to one knee, his head bent also. Seeing this, Draco stumbled backwards and fell over a step, letting his wand roll away.

Dumbledore took a few deep breaths and looked up at him.

"Try again," he said, getting back up.

Gasping, Draco stood back up shakily.

"But...professor!"

"Again, Draco," Dumbledore repeated, straightening up and placing his hands behind him again. "This is all part of your training."

"Training for what though?" Draco finally blurted out.

Dumbledore paused.

"I mean seriously, why are we doing all of this? And why won't you really tell me what's going on? And why the bloody hell do you have a mark on your left cheek?!"

Dumbledore tilted his head slightly, a curious but no-longer-smiling expression on his face. "Forgive me, Draco, but I don't see how any of that should concern you."

"You don't—"

"I suggest you just take the lessons that I am offering you and concentrate on _them_ only, and nothing else," he said, now with a bolder tone.

Draco nodded and picked up his wand again.

"Focus," Dumbledore told him.

So Draco did. And once again, his mind totally alert, he pointed and uttered. And again, Dumbledore groaned, his eyes shut painfully, and Draco, who kept getting scared at the sounds that Dumbledore was making, kept improperly pulling out of the spell, thus landing him on the floor again and again.

This went on for the next twenty minutes or so, until Dumbledore finally waved his arm for Draco to stop and slowly made his way back to his desk, sinking into his chair and taking a few tired breaths.

"Alright," he breathed, "That's enough practice for one night."

"But, professor, I don't get why you won't just use a protective—"

"That won't motivate you to learn any quicker," Dumbledore interrupted, his eyes closed.

A long moment of silence ensued, during which Draco silently kicked himself for being so clumsy with his incantation or for even letting his wand slip out of his fingers.

"The scar is from a muggle's knife," Dumbledore said, quietly. Draco gaped at him. "Last night there was another rally, this time in the muggle street adjacent to Diagon Alley. The Death Eaters were after every last man, woman, or child who happened to be walking along that street."

"But why?" said Draco. "I thought they were just interested in overthrowing the ministry."

Dumbledore opened his eyes now and a sad look crossed his face. "They wanted to send the ministry a message."

Draco thought for a minute. "A message that they are not afraid to show themselves to the muggles?"

"Precisely," said Dumbledore.

"So how'd you get cut then, sir?"

Dumbledore looked away from him now, and it was a long time before he said, very quietly, "The muggles didn't know which of us to fear."

"Wait," said Draco, sitting up, " _Didn't_? Do—are they...?"

Dumbledore turned back to him and nodded.

"But why...how could you...?"

"...let this happen, you ask?" said Dumbledore. "I've been asking myself that question for twenty-four hours now and I've come to the same conclusion as I did last night...I am not invincible. I do not have the power to protect every man on this earth, magic or not." He smiled slightly. "I am not a god, Draco."

Draco sighed. "Were any of ours injured?"

"Not many," said Dumbledore, "But injuries are a risk you have to take when walking into a war." He ran his fingers along his cheek. "I know I have."

"Hey mate, are you feeling okay? You don't look well," said James when Draco saw him and the others at breakfast next day.

"Fine," Draco said, taking the goblet of juice that Peter offered him now.

"Did something happen?" Remus wondered.

"I just didn't sleep really well," Draco answered, drinking and turning to look at the staff table, where Dumbledore's seat was the only unoccupied one.

"What is he always off doing?" he wondered, drinking some more.

"Who, Dumbledore?" said Sirius, and the others also looked over at the staff table. "Who knows, probably really important headmaster stuff."

"How did your lesson go with him last night?" Remus asked Draco, who now looked away from the staff table.

"Fine," he mumbled. "Same as usual, you know?"

"What do you guys do though?" said James. "I mean we know he taught you the Patronus Charm but now you know it. _And_ you're at the top of like every class, except for muggle studies…"

"Muggle studies is stupid..." Draco mumbled.

James grinned at him.

"I dunno," Draco answered now, "We just...do additional stuff..."

"Such as?" said Sirius.

Draco thought back on the dream he'd had last night, where he was the only Death Eater in that muggle street and all the muggles were covered in their own blood and chasing him with sharpened knives. Somehow, he hadn't thought to bring a wand along on this crazy dream of his. And it didn't help that he kept waking up at night all covered in sweat and panicked. At least none of the boys had noticed...

"Um, maybe he wants to make me fit for some kind of ministry job, I dunno," he answered instead.

James raised his eyebrows and Remus smiled pleasantly. "Oh really? Which one?"

"I dunno," said Draco, looking round at all the boys. "He hasn't told me anything, it's just my best guess."

"But why would Dumbledore want you to take up a job at the ministry?" said Sirius.

"Guys," Remus stepped in, "He's his adoptive son! It's only natural for Dumbledore to want Draco to have the very best future possible. He probably feels really protective over him and just wants him to do really well in life."

"Hey, I'd cheer for you to be Minister," said James, punching Draco lightly on the shoulder. "Anyone's better than that old Minchum prat."

"You just said a mouthful there, mate," Sirius agreed.

Draco laughed lightly at the idea of ever becoming Minister of Magic. Quite frankly, he was amused by how the boys reacted to this…even more amused than he was by his own new and improved ability to tell lies and fibblets by the snap of the fingers. Heck, he didn't even stutter anymore.

Draco thought that his next week would be horrendous but as soon as he arrived at his first lesson on Monday morning, he forgot all about Dumbledore and the story of the muggle rally. In fact, the entire day he thought of nothing but school. The teachers were really starting to pile on work in preparation for the end of term exams that they'd all have to write just before the holidays. Draco already knew most of everything that he was studying but it didn't take away from the fact that he still had to _write_ all those essays and hand them in. It was too bad he couldn't just walk up to each of his teachers and recite a whole speech about whatever topics he had to write about. Honestly, that'd make life so much easier.

Finally, his afternoon free period arrived and, exhausted from the day's work, he headed straight for the seventh floor corridor to meet Severus, who was already sitting there.

"How's it going?" Draco said, also sitting down.

"It's fine, and you?" said Severus.

"Fine too," said Draco without looking at him. He pulled his books out and opened them in front of him. Today, he was perfectly fine just pretending to study.

"Really? You look a little distracted," Severus pointed out.

Draco looked up at him. "I said I'm fine."

Severus nodded once and looked back down at his book. Draco cursed silently. That remark was supposed to earn him a good fireback from Severus, but instead he got a big fat nothing. This was getting old pretty quickly.

"So what are you doing the rest of the week besides classes?" Draco asked.

Severus shrugged. "Dunno, maybe take up a little reading."

"Oh really, about what?"

Severus shrugged again.

"You were just gonna walk up and down random aisles at the library until you found a book you liked?" said Draco.

Severus managed a small grin. "Well, I was actually thinking of maybe reading _Introduction to the Wonders of Apparition_...you know, so that I can be ahead when we can start taking lessons."

"Why on earth do you need lessons on apparition when I could just teach you?"

The words had honestly escaped him before he could even grasp what was happening. It was amazing how little control he had over himself. Severus stared at him, not understanding yet probably mirroring his own expression.

"You..." he said, frowning now, "Y-you _know_ apparition?"

"Um," said Draco, not knowing what else to say. "I..."

"When did you learn? Did Dumbledore teach it to you?"

Bingo.

"Yep."

"Well why didn't you say something about it before? That's pretty cool to know."

"He made me promise not to tell anyone so you gotta keep your mouth shut, okay?"

"Yeah, anything you say," said Severus, straightaway. "But I mean I don't get it...how old were you when he taught you?"

"It was just a few months ago," Draco said in all his honesty.

"But isn't it supposed to be super dangerous to learn it when you're young?"

"A few months won't make a big difference, Severus."

The boy nodded importantly and looked down at his books again. Draco sighed. He looked just like a lost puppy who needed to be shaken a few times just so he'd stand up straight and take on the world with _some_ kind of dignity! How the hell was he supposed to fix this child?

And then, it came to him like a light.

"Are you gonna be at the match this weekend?" he asked him.

Severus looked up with a smile on his face. "Of course not, I have better things to do than go watch _Quidditch_." He paused, his eyes becoming round slightly. "I mean, unless…if you wanted me to go then obviously I would. You'd just have to say the word and I'm there..."

"Relax, I'm not asking you to come for me," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not even playing this match."

"Oh...I thought you'd taken up a permanent position on your team."

"Nope," said Draco, simply. "Last match it was just a friend helping out another friend in a moment of crisis."

"What was the crisis?"

"A bloke with a broken arm."

Severus smiled again. "Okay so then are _you_ gonna be at the match this weekend?"

"'Course," said Draco. "I wouldn't miss it, and you shouldn't too."

"No thank you," said Severus, looking down at his Potions book and sounding more like his old self.

"Why not?" said Draco.

"Quidditch isn't really my forte, in case you haven't noticed," Severus answered without looking at him.

"Awe come on, you can't be that bad," said Draco.

Severus looked up at him, horrified. "I'm not _bad!_ I don't play at all!"

"Well then why not come watch?"

"Because I don't bloody _care_ about Quidditch!" he finally snapped.

Draco stared at him.

"I...I'm sorry," said Severus, quickly. "I just...look, it's a lot of things, okay? I just... I don't wanna be there this weekend, period."

"Fine," Draco mumbled.

A moment of silence ensued as each boy looked down at his book and pretended to read.

"But let's say you did go," Draco suddenly said, making Severus jump slightly. "Say you went and you knew exactly what was happening in the game and who was playing well and who stunk like Hagrid's Hut does…would you consider going?"

Severus narrowed his eyes at him. "Why?"

Draco smiled.

* * *

It took every ounce of persuasion that Draco had but after forty minutes he finally managed to convince Severus to join him out on the Quidditch field that night. And Severus did not disappoint him. He showed up in 'comfortable clothing', as Draco had instructed, with one of the school's brooms strapped to his shoulder and a scowl on his face.

"Why are you making me do this?" he complained, looking miserable as ever.

Draco, on the other hand, was surprised that he hadn't thought to do this before. This right here was the key to fixing all of Severus' problems. If he could just teach him a couple of simple tactics from his time, no one— _no one_ —would ever say anything else about Severus ever again. Draco was sure of it.

"Mount the broom—you do know how to fly, don't you?"

"Yes I know how to fly, I'm not an idiot!" Severus cried, frustrated but mounting his broom.

"Kay good," said Draco, mounting his own. "Alright let's get into the air."

He kicked off the ground and soared straight for the goal posts. Severus must have hesitated slightly before doing the same because it took him a few more seconds to reach Draco.

"You good?" Draco called out to him.

He'd been right to suggest that they do this at night when everyone else was sleeping. And there was no way in hell that Dumbledore could make them go back into the castle. He of all people knew how important it was for Draco to gain Severus as an ally and doing things like this was just part of the journey.

"What do I do now?" Severus called back.

Draco forced himself not to laugh at the weird way that Severus was hovering in the air, like he was afraid of falling.

"Okay, do this," he said instead, now positioning his broom so that he could zigzag through the air several times and turn quickly to head back to his original position in the same way.

"This is so stupid," he heard Severus mutter, but nonetheless, Severus attempted to copy Draco's move. Obviously he looked like Filch's cat high on Amortentia, but it was a good first try.

"Okay, not bad," Draco said, slowly. "But try it like this."

He repeated the move, this time in slower motion so that Severus could _really_ watch him. They continued with this move for about ten more minutes before Draco decided to move on with something a little more complicated but pretty basic.

By the end of the night, Draco was actually pretty pleased with how he'd managed to teach Severus to be a little more comfortable on a broom. He wasn't a pro, true, but he was still managing just fine.

The next day however, things got a little more complicated when Sirius asked, "Hey Draco, where were you last night?"

Draco looked up from his book. "What do you mean?"

"Well I woke up in the middle of the night to take a piss and I noticed your bed was empty. I came down to see if you were maybe in the common room but..."

"But what?" said James.

"I fell asleep on the stairs, okay?" said Sirius.

The boys exploded into laughter, and Draco joined in too. Then, Frank came over to ask James something and soon all was forgotten about Draco's late night absence. It seemed that he was getting luckier and luckier with these things as time passed.

The rest of the week continued in the same way, with Draco attending his classes by day, laughing with the Marauders at meals, and practicing with Severus by night. The only thing the Marauders noticed was Draco being a little more tired than usual, but other than that, they were clueless.

It would've been a perfect week too, if it hadn't been for the tragedy that occurred on Wednesday night. All the Gryffindors in fifth, sixth and seventh year gathered in the common room together to listen a radio broadcast that was coming in live from the Ministry itself. Frank's friends had made sure to clear out all the youngsters from the common room. They didn't need to listen to this.

Once the broadcast came on, Draco wished he hadn't listened. Some ministry official described how bad that night's raid had been and then he began listing the names of all the witches and wizards who'd died in the fight against the Death Eaters. Everyone in the common room sat quietly, either watching each other nervously or just looking at a blank spot somewhere and trying not to think. Mary, Draco noticed, was holding hands with Lily and biting her nail at the same time. Lily was rocking herself back and forth ever so lightly, and a couple of other girls had their mouths covered from the shock of how long this list was. When it came down to the last couple of names, one of the seventh year girls who Draco didn't recognize burst into tears and her friends immediately gathered around her. Draco's eyes instantly fell on James who was exchanging a dark look with Sirius. Remus was looking as gaunt as ever and Peter just flat-out frightened. Then, another boy cursed out loud and walked out of the room. A couple of his buddies exchanged looks and followed him out shortly. Draco took deep breaths but said nothing. What could he say? Never, in a million years, would he ever have imagined that _this_ war was the worse one.

He'd always been so sure that Voldemort had been scarier the _second_ time around...but now he was slowly starting to understand it. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were around for much longer during the first war than they were during the second, therefore they'd no doubt had a greater impact on the rest of the world. He'd been stupid to think otherwise. And now, sitting here and seeing how this was affecting his classmates and their families, made him really nervous inside.

What was Dumbledore's big plan for him—that he'd up and fight the most powerful wizard in the world so that there would never be a second war?

 _He_ wasn't the Boy Who Lived...

The next day, all anyone seemed to talk about was what they'd heard last night. But that was just the morning. After lunch, the teachers had managed to assure the students that things would get better soon, and so by dinnertime, everyone was slowly starting to forget about the raid and think about other things instead.

"I'm telling you, this match couldn't come at a better time," James kept repeating all throughout dinner. "The great people of Hogwarts _need_ this match to distract them from all the shit that's happening right now."

"I have a feeling this is gonna be a good one, Jamesy," Sirius said.

Draco looked over at Severus, who was sitting next to Regulus across the hall, apparently deep in conversation, and thought to himself...

...what in god's name was Dumbledore thinking at this very moment?

* * *

 **Gaaawd it feels good to be updating again :) Hope you guys loved the chapter and see you soon!**

 **Also, RIPRickman**

 **Also, next chapter will be the first Gryffindor-Slytherin match of the year! Any predictions?**


	23. Once a Snake

**DaOneInDaCorner : ****Alright, so counter to what you readers may believe, I'm in fact not the normal author you all know and love. I'm the constantly mentioned 'DaOneInDaCorner', co-writer for this story. Well, this is mostly my chapter, writing style and all, so I'm rather nervous on what you all may think of it, seeing as I've been out've the writing game for some time now. As opposed to giving you all an elaborate and lengthy note, I'll keep it short by saying that the chapter is something of a test for me, so it's going to be the shortest of all, and anything written by myself or Hplover4ever3 will be up to the regular standards of size. So yeah, next chapter won't be nearly as long to get out, so apologies for this rather late update, I procrastinated a bit on this one.**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 23: ONCE A SNAKE...

Draco had realized that sooner or later Severus would find his backbone again, but he'd never before expected it to occur in such a . . . _dramatic_ fashion. So, seeing the Slytherin players repeating some of the recent maneuvers he'd taught Snape earlier that week, struck him with a confusing mixture of unimaginable fury, and admittedly a small dose of pride. Currently, the rage seemed to be winning out on the priority of his emotions.

 _That one shouldn't even exist yet!_ Draco thought manically, hands gripping wildly at his hair as he watched Crouch execute a perfect Dionysus Drive, leaping from his broom to smack his Quaffle into the goalpost, a smug and arrogant grin plastered across his face as he gave a bow in response to the roaring applause from the bleachers.

The cheers had proven to be almost infectious at this point, with new plays and tricks performed by the Slytherin team every other minute, showcasing things that shouldn't be introduced until the next century at the very least. By this point, the Gryffindors hardly even cared that their opposing team was the shining glory of the hour. They too, were so caught up in the game that they cheered at every new ploy which their rivals flaunted. Draco could hardly control the flush of rage that coursed through his body at this point, teeth threatening to grind themselves to nubs if he continued upon this current method of releasing his tension.

As Slytherin scored another set of points, Draco's hand went flying and smacked the closest cheering person right at the back of the head.

"Owww! The hell's wrong with you, man?" shrieked the rather short and stumpy boy, turning to Draco with eyes that spoke of surprise and a tinge of worry as he recognized whom he had been struck by.

Without a moment being lost, Draco carried the momentum that the student's hesitation allowed him and struck for the jugular . . . metaphorically of course.

"Wrong with me?" Draco mimed back in a voice that spoke of the true, icy cold ferocity that was rushing through him. "How about what the fuck's wrong with _you?!_ That's _Slytherin_ , out there winning, not Gryffindor! You and all these other idiots here are cheering despite how badly they're kicking our arses!"

Draco's accusation wasn't contained, yet the Gryffindors all around his seat remained glued to the match that went on overhead.

With a gulp, the tubby boy shrunk in on himself, seeming to wish that he could apparate himself within a wall at the soonest chance. _Tough luck,_ Draco thought vindictively to himself.

"B-but . . . that last shot was so cool!"

At the weak defense, the kid immediately realized his mistake, retreating under Draco's arm, noting how the blond terror's left hand was twitching unconsciously towards the currently sheathed wand within his robe.

With a shriek of panic, the boy fled with flailing arms, completely ignored by all but those whom he tumbled into on his retreat, whom let out loud remarks of shock. Draco watched the boy finish his scram by catching sight of one of the near Slytherin players executing a wild spin that turned into a joint maneuver with another chaser that allowed them to slickly dupe the approaching Gryffindor flyers, leading to yet another attempt to score as the Quaffle made its way into the hands of another member.

Jarine Atrenus managed a counter to the new sight, as a beater he'd signaled managed to scatter the two with a terrifying ball of mass being hurdled in their direction. As the third year chaser turned the impossible score into a decent recovery for Gryffindor, Draco couldn't help the surge of pride that went through him. At least they were still managing to save face in spite of a humiliating start to a long-awaited match.

Feeling like his continued presence would most likely endanger those around him, Draco turned back from the field and slowly started making his way down from the stands. Sure, Gryffindor didn't look _too_ bad up there, but there was still no way they'd manage to win the match. Though they were just over forty minutes into the game, it was already clear to everyone at the stadium that Slytherin had won fifteen minutes in. The score boards were currently at a profound gap of two-hundred and seventy points for Slytherin, against the miniscule sixty pointes for Gryffindor House. Even a miraculous catch of the snitch wouldn't save the game for his team now, especially without a single solid defense for the golden maneuvers made by the Slytherin team. Draco could hardly recall his reasoning for wanting to teach treacherous little Severus such moves, but it mattered not at all by this point; Severus was going to get what karma had in store for him now. Draco would see to it.

And to think, Draco had been so enthusiastic for what was to come from the victory Gryffindor would be achieving with this match, morale for his former rival team at an all-time high.

 _Dammit James, that charisma of yours is definitely coming to bite us all in the arse now, huh?_ He thought to himself morosely, ignoring a shouted "HEY!" as he pushed past a row of students distractedly blocking the exit from the benches.

* * *

"Five minutes, people!" James shouted over the abundance of noise reverberating within the locker room.

"Guys, the hell's my shirt? C'mon, this isn't funny!" came the whiny voice of one boy, as Frank snickered immaturely within a corner of the room.

Tripping over a pile of fliers that James was currently posting atop the walls around them, another boy complained about a swollen toe and was now requesting that the game be pushed back another week.

With everyone in such a frenzy, Draco found it a rather difficult task to maintain his concentration now. Pushing his thumb and forefinger against his temple, he shut his eyelids and allowed himself a few moments to achieve some degree of serenity before releasing the pressure against his skull. With this brief moment of peace being achieved within his mind, he now gave his full attention to his current priority…that being the twitchy boy who shakily stationed himself atop his broom, gripping the handle tightly and twisting it every second he was able to.

With a sigh, Draco attempted to empathize with Atrenus, easily able to understand how it must feel to be the youngest member on the team and being pitted against the team that rose stakes to the roof when it came to possession of House Pride. The fact that his breath wasn't tinged with the foul stench of acidic vomit put him a scale higher than Draco during his first game. _Well, the boy has done this once before,_ Draco thought now.

"Look, you're doing the tilt just fine, all you really need to focus on is maintaining your balance but you can't do that if you're shaking the broom around like a leaf caught in a hurricane," he critiqued the boy now, as his little student bit his lip and gave a nod.

The child's hero-worship seemed to do well in dispersing his fears. Really, all Draco'd done was show the kid a few tricks and give him some tidbits of criticism on his technique…nothing that deserved this Potter-level of fan-ism. Then again, he, Draco, was quite an amazing Quidditch player, so any advice he passed forward (in _any_ era) could be perceived as though spoken from the lips of God himself. Well, perhaps some might disagree with this assessment, but Draco wasn't going to retract this notion from his mind anytime soon.

Taking a step back to give one last glance over at the positioning of Atrenus, Draco gave a mental nod in his affirmation of the kid's success.

"That ought to do it, from here I doubt there's much I can help you on without getting out on the field myself and demonstrating it myself."

Atrenus had a frown pulling at his lips now, and Draco resisted a growl of irritation. Great, more worries he'd need to set aside from the kid's pre-game jitters-riddled brain.

"It should be _you_ out there flying, not me. Everyone here knows it too," the boy stated with utter sincerity, his self-dejection eliciting an audible groan of annoyance from the former Slytherin standing before him.

"Dammit kid, you'll do fine out there, probably better than I could do right now, as rusty as I am," Draco declared in response. "Besides, if anyone should be getting kicked, it's Gudgeon; the guy flies like a hog with fairy wings."

At the second accusation, Atrenus cracked a small grin. Draco shrugged at the look one of the other players gave him, overhearing Draco's not so subtle assessment on the resident overweight player. Really, it was true; the kid wasn't so much fat as he was overly muscled. Sure, muscle was great for Quidditch, but only when it was lean and didn't restrict the ability to perform during a game. He may have been something to fear a few years prior from what Draco could make out in the former photos of games past, but puberty had hit this one like a wrecking ball and turned what was once a lithe and agile body into a mountain of muscle.

Giving a small smirk down to the smaller teen, Draco looked back down to his notes and penned down some last minute touches to the strategies he'd went through. As a side note, Draco gave Atrenus a pat on the shoulder as he walked by. "Just don't think too hard, you'll do fine out there. I'm rootin' for ya, kid."

Not bothering to take in whatever expression of gratitude the teen no doubt had upon his face, Draco found a place leaning against a locker near the back of the room, a tad more quiet than the rest of the locker room. _We're ready, aren't we?_ Draco took the extra time now to go over the small doubts that'd lingered within his mind, but for all that logic dictated his team held the advantage in the match, his fears continued to crawl back, leading him to be somewhat more methodical in his planning than he'd ever been in his life previous; Vanishing Cabinet excluded.

James' bout of shouting over the clashing voices shook Draco from his internal musing, as the courageous leader settled the team down in an attempt to have all eyes locked upon him for whatever he had to say.

For all that James had reminded Draco of Harry Potter in the past, any remnants of aggression and disdain he'd retained up until this point in time had all but cleared up when James called for all the boys to gather up in the locker room, circling him as he stood atop a bench with a serious look on his face.

"Oy Draco, come 'ere!" Sirius called, being the first to notice Draco standing off to the side.

Draco hesitated but nonetheless pulled himself away from the locker and walked over to join Sirius at James' side, clipboard under his folded arms.

The locker room fell silent at once—not a single sound. Everyone stood quietly, their faces serious too (or was it nervous?). James only looked down at them for a minute, trying to figure out what to say while analyzing whether or not his team was ready for this. Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion because he cleared his throat and raised a finger.

"I don't think I have to remind you lot that this is our first match against Slytherin this year," he began. He cast his gaze over the occupants of the room, stopping at Draco to give a short nod of thanks. Draco looked down at the clipboard in his hand, full of notes about new counters and plays fueling effective defenses for whatever he believed the opposing team might send their way today. He had surprised even himself at his eagerness to take on the position as assistant and advisor, whether his participation was to be needed or not. Finishing his sweep of the room now, James seemed to ready himself as he sucked in a short breath in preparation of some sort of grand speech.

All the young men standing around him waited patiently, their faces clearly showing that they wanted nothing more than to be blessed with whatever motivational words James had in store for them today. The way they looked up to him sometimes rocked Draco completely as he still couldn't believe how much adoration James had scored himself over the years. It was impressive, really. And even now, his presence there alone seemed to wash away some of the nervous energy in the air.

"Despite this being just another match against Slytherin..." James now continued, "...it's more than that and we all know it." There was not a single questioning murmur in response—just the complete silence and feel of acceptance in the air. "This can't be just for the knowledge that we beat Slytherin...this game means something more for everyone that's here today. It's something to look forward to, for each of our classmates, their families, their professors...everyone's had just about enough to worry about lately...what with the war..." Some of the boys exchanged looks now that told Draco they'd all tried their hardest the last couple of days to forget about the latest rally completely. But even that was easier said than done.

"Look guys," sighed James, "I know it's been real difficult but…you see, _that's_ why we need to win today. _That's_ why we need to give all those people out there something else to talk about. They came here today trying to forget, and dammit it, we're gonna help them to forget!" He stomped his foot once, thus scoring himself a few smiles from the boys in front of him. "We're gonna remind them that we are Gryffindors, and that nothing— _nothing_ crushes us!"

"Yeah!" cried Sirius, letting out a few claps which were echoed by a couple of members.

"We're gonna slaughter those Slytherins today," James continued, "Not for the Quidditch Trophy, or for the additional house points…not even for the _pride_ …no, this is way bigger than that...we're gonna do it for all those out there suffering and trying to piece together and try to make sense of the war but can't...we're gonna remind them of the power of teamwork and cooperation. We're gonna _assure_ them that we stand behind them, 100%, and that we will continue to stand behind them until the very end. We—"

"Uh Jamesy," said Sirius, awkwardly. James turned to look at him, startled, as though Sirius had only just entered the locker room. "We get it. The big bad war sucks and you wanna make a point. But I think I just heard the whistle so how's 'bout we all go out there and actually _make_ that point, eh?"

James laughed now, his face loosening up slightly. Draco was also smiling now. Today was going to be a good day. Lord knew they needed it to be.

* * *

"That was so brilliant the way he twisted his broom like that without even dropping the Quaffle at all, did you see it?"

"I still can't believe how he managed to turn that around, I mean that was just so out of nowhere, totally unexpected!"

"There probably hasn't been a match like this since the founders' time here at Hogwarts!"

"I think I wanna change my bet about Gryffindor winning the House Cup this year—do you reckon it's too late now?"

Draco remained backed up against the wall, out of sight, as he watched the crowd fill up the halls on its way from the Quidditch pitch. There was so much excitement in the air from students of all houses, that Draco didn't need telling which team was the 'heroes of the hour'. He kept in the shadows, not wanting anyone to see him and start asking questions he wouldn't be able to answer now even if he wanted to. How could he, Draco, just abandon his team like that in their time of need? Had he no knowledge of the word loyalty at all?

Draco had no idea how much time had passed but it seemed that pass it did because the halls that had been filled with noise and chaos not moments before now stood abysmally silent and deserted, with just him standing against the wall, heart pounding, shock engulfed in his veins, and mind post-explosion. How— _how_ could he have possibly let things get so unbelievably messed up so fast?

For the next hour, he successfully avoided the Gryffindor common room for all that he could. He steered clear of the Great Hall too, as well as the Entrance Hall. No, Draco simply resorted to wandering the lonely sixth and seventh floor corridors, roaming around for what seemed like hours, trying hard to escape this twisted timeline and all the many problems that came with it. Why _did_ he walk out on the match? Did he honestly care _that much_ whether or not Gryffindor won some stupid match? After all, it was only Quidditch, and he'd already learned the hard way that there were more important things in life.

But when the grand clock at the end of the west fourth floor corridor chimed ten minutes to curfew, Draco knew that he had no choice. He had to go back to the common room _someday_.

With a dreaded feeling that the marauders wouldn't be too pleased with him snaking out on them during the match, he forced himself to turn around and made it all the way to Gryffindor Tower, head bent the entire way and hands firmly in his pockets as he went. He grumbled the password at the Fat Lady, crawled in through the portrait hole, walked across the nearly deserted common room and climbed up the spiral staircase to his dormitory. When he finally opened the door, he was extremely surprised to find all the marauders sitting on James' bed with the map sprawled open in front of them. Only Peter and Remus looked up to acknowledge that Draco had arrived.

"Wh...what's going on?" Draco dared to ask, slowly shutting the door behind him and taking a few cautious steps toward the bed.

James looked up with an almost _pained_ expression on his face, and he actually opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Remus quickly filled in, "We've been worried about you, mate, where've you been all day?"

"Yeah, w-we thought you'd sit with us at the match!" cried Peter. "But you never showed up!"

"Well it's not like you couldn't _find_ me," Draco blurted out, nodding once at the map on James' bed.

"Oh we found you," James declared in a bitter voice, "But Moony here insisted we let you be…can't imagine why you'd deserve it if you don't even care enough to check in, drop by, you know, just let us know that you're _alive_."

Draco sighed and looked away. But James had already made it clear that he wasn't having any of that tonight.

"So where were you?" he repeated.

"You did _watch_ the match, didn't you?" said Sirius, now looking at Draco as though he didn't even know who he was or why he was standing here.

"I...what...well yeah!" said Draco suddenly. "Yeah, of course I did!" James raised an eyebrow and Draco sighed. "Most of it, anyway."

 _"Most_ of it?" said James.

"What the hell happened, man?" said Sirius. "What about all those weeks of hard work and training...that clipboard full of notes that you carried around with you everywhere!"

"I...you guys won't understand..." Draco mumbled.

James slid off the bed now and walked up to him. "We won't _understand_? You do realize that it's _us_ , right?"

Draco looked away from him but James snapped his fingers in front of him to catch his eye again.

"Draco," he said, his voice lower now, "What is it you're not telling us?"

Draco's gaze fell upon each of the boys in turn as he wondered what in god's name type of excuse he should use now to explain today's bizarre behaviour. Dammit, it was getting harder and harder for him to lie to these boys.

"I...look guys," he said, now moving away from James so that the others could see him too, "I'll admit that I was wrong about today, okay? After ten minutes of the match, I already realized what we were destined for and I...later I walked away."

"You actually _left_ the match?" spat Sirius. "But...Quidditch!"

"You can't just leave because your team is losing, that's not the way things work around here in Gryffindor," James muttered angrily. "Yeah, we lose from time to time but dammit we don't walk out on each other. We get through everything _because_ we have each other!"

"I _know_ that, James, _believe me,"_ said Draco, irritated to the bone. "What can I say, I screwed up!" He looked round at Remus, hoping for some kind of sympathy here. "You can understand that, can't you, guys? I mean I've never had a normal family. And you guys feel like a family to me. I just couldn't stand the idea of sitting there, watching my family get beaten down and humiliated completely. I just couldn't handle it." He looked to Peter now. "And I know it wasn't my shining moment but we all make those mistakes, don't we?" Now Sirius. "I don't know what happened but I screwed up and I'm sorry." And now James. He took a step towards him, sincere regret plastered all over his face. "I'm really, really sorry."

James let his guard down in an instant, actually surprising Draco in the process. He hadn't expected it to work this fast. Heck, he hadn't expected to get out of this without the need for a single lie.

"Hey, don't sweat it, man," said Sirius, now, also sliding off the bed and walking over to pat Draco on the back. "I mean we all get it wrong sometimes, right, fellas?"

The boys muttered their agreement and nodded their heads vigorously. Relief swept over Draco like a cool and pleasant wind. Even James lost all seriousness in his face and gave Draco a little smile now. Though the boys did not know it yet, Draco's words had a greater impact on them now than he would ever know.

"So...how did the match..." said Draco.

"...end?" said Sirius. He shook his head. "Not well. But Cresswell was actually quite impressive today. Hmm, Atrenus too."

"Yeah, so even though we got completely slaughtered out there, I was very impressed with their day's work," James declared in an official voice. "I'll be sure to mention that at the next practice. The team was a bit down by the time we reached the common room after the match."

"Really?" said Draco sarcastically. "Because the rest of the Gryffindors out in the stands sure seemed to be enjoying the game."

James frowned at him but nevertheless dismissed the comment. Draco sighed. Perhaps being a Gryffindor for just four months of his life didn't exactly make him an expert on how things worked over in this house. Oh well.

"That Lucinda Talkalot sure played one heck of a game though, didn't she?" Sirius said to James now.

"Well with her being captain, I'm not surprised," James replied. "She's a far better chaser than Belinda Overcliff though."

"I thought your brother played a fairly decent game too," Remus said to Sirius now.

Sirius scoffed at him.

 _"Decent?"_ James repeated. "The kid was the highlight of the show!"

"Can we please talk about something else?" Sirius groaned, now falling on his bed and moaning once painfully into his pillow.

Peter giggled.

"Sooo," said Draco, now attempting to redirect the conversation. "Uh, what's with the map?"

The boys looked down at the Marauder's Map still spread out on James's bed with barely any dots moving about the castle.

"We're spying on the Slytherin team," Sirius declared, now lifting his head from the pillow and turning in his bed to look at his friends.

"What for?" Draco looked up at James who exchanged a look with Sirius before answering, with somewhat of a determined grin, "Those little gits learned those tricks from someone tonight, and we're gonna find out who."

* * *

 **Thanks..**


	24. Preparations

**Hplover4ever3: Hey guys! Hope you all loved the last chapter as much as I did XD The next couple of chapters, you'll notice, will be shorties to lead us up to the Christmas holidays. We're very, very excited about what is to come and can't wait to hear what you guys think, as we've been planning for these moments for a long time. Enjoy and happy reading! **

**Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 24: PREPARATIONS

Alarmed by the sharp look on James' face, Draco shut the book in front of him and pushed it aside, placing a school book on top. He leaned forward.

"What is it, James?" he said, his voice lowered so that no one in the nearby tables would overhear.

Whatever this was, it was something big. Draco knew this for a fact because James did not speak right away. He looked _pained_ to have to tell Draco whatever it was he needed to know. Instead, he looked in between each of Draco's eyes, as if trying to read him; as if trying to figure out whether he already knew what it was he had to know. But Draco honestly had no idea what James was thinking...unless...

"Do you...?" said Draco, suddenly hitting the idea that James could have maybe in fact found out his secret. But how to ask him this without falling into a trap and accidentally revealing everything to him?

But James, who'd looked distracted until now, suddenly sat up and cleared his throat.

"It's about the night before we left for the holidays," he began, making Draco relax just a little.

"W-what about it?" he asked, cautiously.

James took a deep breath and looked around again before answering, very, _very_ quietly, "I saw you that night..."

* * *

 _35 days before_

* * *

 _Tuesday, December 1, 1976_

 _Dear Mr. Draco Black,_

 _You are cordially invited to my annual Christmas party for the Slug Club, to be hosted on Saturday, December 19 at 7 o'clock in my office on the third floor. As a fervent member of the club, you are permitted to bring one guest to the party. Dress to impress!_

 _Yours very truly,_

 _Professor Horace Slughorn_

"Sirius, cut it out," said James when Sirius continued to wave the letter around in front of Draco, a smug smirk on his face.

"But I _really_ want to come with you!" Sirius mocked, still laughing. "Please, _oh please_ , invite me as your plus one, Draco!"

Draco only glared at him, wishing more than anything that he could just come right out and say, "Shut up, you git!"

Remus looked up from his own letter and smiled vaguely at Sirius, but Draco could tell that he too was now beginning to dread what was to come...the ever so agonizing quest to find a decent date in eighteen days.

"You guys are so lucky you don't have to come to this thing," he told the boys as they packed up their breakfast things and got up from the Gryffindor table.

"Yeah 'cause while you lot are up there doing all this 'sophisticated grown-up party stuff', we'll be down at Hogsmeade, doing immature, teenage stuff," said Sirius, who patted James once on the back and let out a laugh on his way out of the Great Hall.

"Hogsmeade?" said Peter, following the boys out.

"Yeah, a couple of us are gonna go down there for late night drinks as a sort of post-exam pick-me-up," James explained.

"I mean, we'd invite you, Draco, but it looks like you'll already be busy that night," said Sirius.

Draco only growled at him in response and Sirius let out his bark-like laugh.

Remus smiled weakly at him.

The boys made it to Transfiguration and took their seats, quickly taking out their notepads and getting ready to work. Draco too, was really committed to today's lesson, no matter how much his tongue bothered him. He was pretty much committed to every other lesson that would follow from now to the holidays. The midterms were fast approaching and he had every intention to keep his promise to Dumbledore...it was either going to be all excellent's, or goodbye alibi.

That day, McGonagall had decided to delve more deeply into the immensely difficult topic of human transfiguration, one which Draco despised greatly. He knew that if he'd had difficulty with it last time, he would now as well. So even though he paid attention to everything that McGonagall was saying now and took down carefully cited notes, he still found himself wishing he could go back (or rather, forward) in time and make himself do those two assignments he'd never finished.

After Transfiguration, the boys meant to go to Defense when Remus was suddenly sidelined by an upset stomach. After he vomited over a stairwell, the boys grouped and brought him up to Madame Pomfrey's. The entire way there, he mumbled about how he would never have the time to do all the homework that was piling up already. Even though James assured him that he'd get him copies of every note from today, Remus still wouldn't stop mumbling.

When they reached the hospital wing, they helped Madame Pomfrey lift Remus onto a bed and cover him up with a blanket. She then fetched a wet cloth and pasted it on his forehead carefully.

"Thank you, boys, I'll take it from here," she assured them, ushering them out of the hospital now.

They tried to protest and looked over her shoulder at Remus, who was now turning and twisting painfully on the bed.

When Madame Pomfrey slammed the door shut in their faces, the boys stood there, lost in time completely and forgetting all about how late they already were.

"Perhaps we shouldn't all go with him tonight," James suggested, his eyes on Draco.

"Mmmm," said Draco, nodding his agreement. He wasn't even an animagus yet, so it'd probably pose a great threat if he was there tonight.

"I'll stay with you," Sirius suggested, but James quickly gripped his shoulder and shook his head.

"No, _I_ will," he declared. "You two go out with him tonight and Draco and I will work on his transformation...in the common room, won't we, Draco?

Draco nodded at James, feeling hopeful that soon, he'd get _somewhere_ with his animagus pursuit. He'd only been carrying the mandrake leaf in his mouth since Saturday and he already felt sick to his stomach from it. It was difficult to speak too without slurring his words, so he resorted to just not saying anything at all. Sirius was really having a laugh out of this, but the rest of the boys were pretty neutral about it. They'd all gone through it (except Remus, of course) so it wasn't that big of a deal.

The boys arrived in Claybrook's classroom fifteen minutes after class had started, but Claybrook didn't seem to mind. Somehow, Draco was sure Madame Pomfrey had already contacted him in advance. He simply urged the boys to take their seats quickly and turned back to the board.

"...as I was saying, these exams are crucial and I want each and every one of you to take them seriously. You'll need to remember all of these topics (and well, too) for your NEWTs next year."

By dinnertime, it was evident that the boys had enough homework to last them the rest of the year. Draco couldn't remember ever having such a big pile of work just waiting for him up in his dormitory. Feeling a little bummed out, he joined the boys in the Great Hall, but only got even more bummed out when he spotted Regulus sitting at the Slytherin table and looking right at him.

None of the Marauders seemed to notice (perhaps they hadn't known otherwise) that Draco hadn't spoken with Regulus in over a month. Funny, it seemed a lot less than that to him, but he knew he really missed the kid. He'd actually grown to like him a fair bit. He was a lot like Sirius, though Draco would never dream to tell him that. Still, he couldn't help but feel upset with himself for screwing Regulus up so bad. He still wasn't quite sure how he'd managed it.

Sitting at the table in the Great Hall now, Draco looked all around him at his peers eating and chatting about day-to-day things. James was right. The energy and atmosphere in the castle had improved greatly over the weekend...ever since the match. So what if Gryffindor had lost badly? Draco had just never expected for _James_ to be the one to assure him of this. Somehow, he'd always thought it'd be the other way around.

It was then that he finally noticed how often Sirius was checking his watch and how nervous he looked... _and_ how full his plate still was.

"Mmm?" he said, nodding his head at Sirius so that Sirius would understand that he was looking at him.

Sirius shrugged and shook his head dismissively.

"Will you be able to help me with that human transfiguration essay later, Draco?" Peter asked.

Draco shrugged and proceeded to cut his chicken. He doubted he would be of any more help to Peter than Remus would be. He himself was struggling with the topic in general. But his eyes fell on Sirius instead and he frowned. Sirius was shaking his leg rapidly under the table and looked beyond nervous.

"We should probably get going soon, you finished?" he told Peter, nodding once at his plate.

Peter looked down at his half-eaten plate in confusion and then back up at Sirius.

"He's probably not ready yet," James whispered to Sirius, making it clear to all the boys that he was talking about the wolf, not Peter.

"It...it doesn't matter, we should go," Sirius said. He stood up from the table and pulled his sweater off so that he was wearing a white t-shirt underneath. He tossed the sweater to James and motioned for Peter to get up too. Peter glanced sideways at Draco but nevertheless followed Sirius out of the Great Hall.

"He doesn't like to talk about it but he worries about Remus a whole lot," James explained, watching with Draco as the two boys disappeared from the hall. "Hell, we all do." He sighed and looked round at his friend. "You wanna get going?"

Draco nodded at once, never minding that he'd barely touched his own food.

Without Remus there for the night, he'd finally be able to get some more work done on his animagus and not have to hear all that nonsense about how it was dangerous and how he shouldn't be doing it at all. James, at least, was the most supportive when it came to the animagus.

When they got up to the Gryffindor common room, James insisted that Draco follow him up to the dormitory. Apparently, they were going to be doing homework there instead of downstairs. But when they got there, it soon became clear that James had no intention of doing any homework at all. Instead, he pulled out his wand and applied a locking charm to the dormitory door. Then, he pulled out the candles that he'd nicked from the Transfiguration storage cupboards and proceeded to light them all around the room. Draco only sat down on the carpet, cross-legged, and waited.

"You need to clear your mind of everything completely," James instructed with his back to him as he finished lighting the last of the candles. "Think of nothing at all."

Draco grumbled but James didn't pay attention. After he'd finished, he pulled out a thick book from his trunk and sat in front of Draco, crossing his legs as well. He flipped open the book and looked up at Draco.

"Clear your head completely because that's the only way you'll be able to really concentrate on the animagus," he explained. "Concentrate on the animagus and the animagus will start to try and find you."

Draco used his tongue to slip the leaf to the side of his mouth long enough for him to say, "You talk like the animagus is another person and I'm trying to merge the two together."

James let out a laugh. "In a way, it is. See, your animagus is like your soul in physical form...eh, sort of. And you need to basically get in touch with your soul, as cliché as that may sound, in order to truly find your animagus." He paused and then shrugged. "I dunno, it worked for me when I tried it."

"Okay," Draco mumbled, the leaf replaced underneath his tongue where it was before.

"Now," James began, "When we did the animagus process, we were first timers so we didn't have someone to guide us through the process, like you do. So you're lucky." Draco nodded. "We ended up meditating for months and months before we ever got to the leaf part. But _you_ can do both at the same time to speed up the process!"

"Wait," Draco mumbled, moving the leaf again so that he could talk without mumbling, "Won't that be dangerous though?"

"Nah, not at all," scoffed James.

"And mediate? What for?"

"You're supposed to _visualize_ your animagus for like six months before you even begin the process but you're already ahead there."

"I am?"

James rolled his eyes. "You can produce a patronus charm. That gives you an in."

"Wait, how come?"

"Because your animagus will most likely be the same shape as your patronus." James paused. "You still haven't told us what your patronus is shaped like, you know..."

"I..." said Draco, deciding that now was a safe time to replace the leaf again.

He had somehow conveniently failed to mention to the marauders what his patronus was shaped like. Only Remus knew and he wasn't going to say anything about it because it was Draco's business and he knew this very well. So Draco had decided that there was no need for the boys to know just yet. But if James was right, if his animagus would take up the shape that his Patronus currently was, then it was only a matter of time.

Draco grumbled again, this time a little more clearly than before, enough so that James laughed his understanding of what Draco had said.

"Yeah, that's what the candles are for," he said, looking down at his book again and biting his lip.

He then stood up and started rummaging in his trunk. Draco grumbled one more time and then James turned around to look at him again, this time holding some weird looking stick in his hands.

"Wormwood," he said when Draco gave him a questioning look. "It's like incense, you know? It's gonna help with the meditation." He took his seat again and shoved the book aside. "Now if you're anything like me, it'll probably make you feel sick to your stomach...or worse...but doncha worry," he suddenly pulled something out from under his bed and smiled at the look on Draco's face, "That's what the bucket's for!"

Draco buried his face in his hands. This wasn't going to be at all like how he'd imagined. Now that he thought about it, practicing legilimancy in Dumbledore's office sounded way more appealing than this.

"Okay," sighed James, crossing his legs and looking straight at Draco. "You ready?"

Draco hesitated before nodding. If he was going to do this, he'd have to be in it all the way. He knew that.

James nodded his approval and proceeded to light the wormwood. He was right. It _reeked_ , filling up the entire dormitory with its horrible, strong smell of incense. It wasn't long before it started to give Draco what would eventually turn into a pounding headache. But Draco sucked in his breath and tried to hold back his frustration. Thinking of the end result was his main motivation right now and he wasn't about to give up on this. He wanted it, and he was going to make it happen.

James had been right. Once the wormwood got going, meditation was actually a lot easier than it would have been without. Draco was actually able to focus more and concentrate his thoughts more smoothly. James being there didn't even bother him at all with this, because he too, looked like he was trying to meditate, perhaps out of respect to the fact that Draco had to. Draco smiled to himself. That right there was part of the reason why he enjoyed having James as a friend so much.

After just twenty minutes of meditating with the wormwood, Draco started to feel uneasy and weird. His mind was starting to get all boggled and his brain actually _hurt_. He started to feel like he was having hallucinations or that perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him. He swore that at some point he'd smelled pine, like from the trees in the Dark Forest. It was a strange feeling.

James did not speak a word during all this, but instead remained seated and kept his eyes shut at all times. But by nine o'clock, Draco's headache had reached its limit and James decided it was time to put away the wormwood and burn out the candles in the room. They packed up their stuff and hurried on downstairs to get good seats in front of the fireplace. To their surprise, the common room wasn't even that packed. There were people of course, but they weren't cluttered like they'd expected. The two boys got their books out and began working their way through their homework piles. And they actually remained fully concentrated for the first twenty minutes or so, but after that, Draco lost his patience and removed the leaf from his mouth.

"You know you're not supposed to do that," James warned, looking up from his Potions book briefly.

"A little break won't kill my animagus's spirit," Draco assured him, setting the leaf down on a napkin and sitting back against the couch. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

He personally couldn't wait until the holidays because that would mean that he'd be finished with this whole mandrake leaf thing. It was really starting to trip him out and he didn't like it one bit.

"Did you guys do the leaf thing all at once?" he suddenly wondered, looking up at James.

"Nah," said James, looking down at his book again, "We didn't want it to become obvious to anyone, you know? The four marauders, silent as doornails for an entire month? I don't think so."

"So you took turns then."

"Mhm."

"And was Remus as persistent with you guys as he is with me?"

"Oh yeah," laughed James. "I'd say he's being easier on you than he was on us."

"Really?"

Draco couldn't imagine it so.

"Yeah definitely," said James. "He went absolutely mental when we first brought up the idea and when he saw that we weren't kidding around...that is, when we brought in the wormwood and practiced our first meditation, he completely lost it."

"Wow," Draco mumbled. He liked Remus, a lot, but dammit, the boy needed to understand that this wasn't his decision to make and that there was nothing he could do about it. Draco was Draco's own boss...unless Dumbledore was in the room, in which case _he_ was the boss.

 _Ugh, don't go there,_ he said to himself now. He'd also neglected to mention to Dumbledore that he was even pursuing this, and somehow, he doubted Dumbledore would be too pleased to hear about it, so it was better to just not say anything at all. As far as Draco was concerned, Dumbledore didn't need to know everything.

James sighed and looked out the window at the full moon that could be seen clearly shining up in the night sky.

"I hope Remus isn't having too horrible of a night."

"Nah, don't worry too much about him," said Draco. "Besides, he isn't alone."

"Still," said James, sadly. "You weren't around before. You don't know how bad it used to get."

"Well has it been getting better or worse over the years?"

James paused. "It's different every time. There is no apparent pattern."

"Damn," said Draco.

He didn't know too much about adult Remus Lupin to be able to offer any consolation. The only wolf he'd ever been around in his past life was Fenrir Greyback, and he'd hardly call him a decent human being. Remus, he actually cared about.

"So how come you don't hang around Snivelly anymore?"

"Ugh, his name is Severus," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "And I dunno—our schedules are different."

"Right," said James.

"He's actually a decent kid, you know."

"Whatever you say."

Draco rolled his eyes again. He was just going to have to accept it. There were any things he could change about this timeline, but the rivalry between James Potter and Severus Snape was certainly not one of them.

And speaking of, he'd actually found that Severus had avoided him the entire weekend. Oh he'd tried looking for him in the seventh floor corridor alright, but Severus was doing a good job at staying in the dark. He probably knew that once Draco found him, he'd flip out on him. It was real smooth, the way he'd gone behind his back and taught all his Slytherin mates all those neat tricks that Draco had worked hard at teaching him. Real smooth. Definitely not a betrayal.

Draco sighed and shook his head quickly. He didn't know why he was letting this bother him so much. It wasn't like he didn't have more important things to worry about...like this Slug Club dinner party thing. Alice walked into the room just then. Noticing Draco, she gave him a little wave and a small smile before retreating to the girls' dormitory upstairs. Draco waved back at her and then rested his head on the armchair again. Sure, he and Alice weren't exactly _dating_ anymore, but they were still friends! Perhaps he'd be able to ask her to come with him to this party thing, as a friend of course...oh but wait, that wouldn't work. Frank was a member of the club too—he was bound to take Alice. It was inevitable. Draco groaned out loud. This was going to be harder than he'd thought.

"Something on your mind there, pal?" James said, noticing.

Draco opened his eyes to look at his friend but said nothing. Instead, he found himself wondering who Lily would end up taking, seeing as how her only logical choice was also a member of the Slug Club, and he didn't seem too pleased about this dinner party either. Draco frowned at the thought of Remus coming to the party with some date and actually having a good time. It was a bizarre image.

His eyes fell upon James again, who was now staring at him with raised eyebrows.

"Um," said Draco, sitting up, "So, any luck finding out who tipped the Slytherins off last Friday?"

If he didn't bring it up soon, the boys would surely start to get suspicious as to why he wasn't as enthused as they.

"Ugh, no," said James, putting his own book away and sitting back. "But I do have my theories."

"Oh, well care to share them?" said Draco in a very casual tone.

James suddenly sat up and leaned forward, his voice lowering as he spoke. "Well, I haven't run this by the others yet, but I'm willing to bet that one of the Slytherin players got in touch with some famous Quidditch player and cheated their way through the last game." He paused. "And I'm willing to bet anything that that player was Regulus."

"What?" cried Draco, startling James a little. "Nuh-uh, no way. He wouldn't do that."

"What—how do _you_ know, you don't even know him!"

"Look who's talking!" cried Draco. "You've spoken to the kid, what, three times since he came to Hogwarts?"

"Well—"

 _"I'm_ his cousin, so that gives me reason to talk to him," said Draco, "…as I have been doing all year."

James stared at him.

"I just didn't tell you guys because I didn't want Sirius to know that I was talking to Regulus so much...because well...you know…"

"Yeah no, I get it," James mumbled. "Damn, you sure can keep a secret."

 _You have no idea,_ Draco thought.

* * *

"Hey, get back here, you, I'm not through talking to you!"

"Well I'm through listening!" Severus yelled without looking back.

Though he did not stop racing through the woods, Draco managed to catch up with him.

"Let go of me, Draco," he grumbled at him, trying to break his arm free of Draco's grip, but Draco held tight.

Feeling a surge of anger mixed with an adrenaline rush, he grabbed Severus by the collar of his shirt and threw him up against the trunk of the nearest tree.

"You will stand here and you will listen until I'm finished saying what I have to say, you got it?" he grumbled at him through gritted teeth.

Severus winced slightly at the pain that his left hip brought him from the slam against the tree. Draco had forgotten that it had been injured back in the Shrieking Shack, but right now, this didn't seem to matter. He knew he had something important to take care of before Severus could get himself up to hospital wing for treatment.

"What you saw back there is exactly what you thought," Draco declared. "You were right the entire time...he's a werewolf."

"And I am so telling people this," Severus said, a smug look on his face.

Draco pulled him away from the tree and slammed him up against it again, bringing him more pain to the back of the head.

"Ow—Draco, cut it out!"

"You will do no such thing," Draco declared, "Not if I have something to say about it."

"Why do you even care? It's not like I'm ratting _you_ out!"

"He's my _friend_ , Severus."

"Funny, I thought I was your friend."

Draco paused. "You know that I would do the same to him if the situation was reversed, don't you?" Severus said nothing to this. "If you were the one in danger, I would do anything— _risk everything—_ to protect you, just as I am prepared to do for him."

Severus rolled his eyes and looked away.

"You know how much it'll hurt him if you tell anyone," Draco added now. "And I don't think you're that horrible of a person to actually do that to someone."

Severus looked him in the eye. "Well then you clearly don't know me that well, Draco Black."

Draco released his shirt and stepped away, allowing him room to breathe. His hand quickly flew to his side and he gripped it tightly to stop it from hurting.

"I don't want to do anything to jeopardize our friendship, Severus," Draco said now, "But I will if you put me in that position." Severus looked up at him. "So don't make the mistake of underestimating what I will do to protect my friends."

"I don't think you even know who your own friends are right now," Severus breathed.

"Maybe not," said Draco. "But I do know who I'm willing to break the law for." Severus raised his eyebrows. "Who I'm willing to punish…" Now his eyes went round. "And who I'm willing to put in their place." The kid's eyes now found Draco's wand, sticking out from its pocket, and he swallowed loudly. Draco sighed. "Go get yourself cleaned up—you look like you could use it."

Without waiting for him to answer, Draco ran off into the woods, back in the direction they'd come from. Severus remained standing up against the tree for a long time, one had shielding his hip and the other clenching the strange wand in his own pocket. But when he heard the echo of a wolf's howl from the distance, he snapped out of his daze in an instant and hurried back up to the castle as quickly as his legs would take him, wanting nothing better than for this terrible night to be done and over with.

* * *

"What say we get back to work and try to finish at least half of this?" James now suggested, taking his Potions book in his hands again and flipping it open. "Oh and put the leaf back in. You shouldn't be taking any breaks, you know."

Draco groaned but did as James told him. The taste of the leaf was rotten disgusting but he was slowly starting to get used to it now. Not feeling up to any homework, he nonetheless opened his own Charms book and got started on those notes he'd need for that dreadful midterm that was just weeks away.

"Hey James," he suddenly said without looking up, the mandrake leaf at the corner of his mouth. "You'd risk everything you love if it came down to that, wouldn't you? To protect someone else?"

James looked up at him. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Like if it came down to life and death, you'd risk everything you had to protect a friend?"

James shrugged. "I dunno, I guess no one ever really knows the answer to that question unless they find themselves in such a situation that requires them to decide." He narrowed his eyes at Draco now. "Why?"

"I'm just curious," Draco said, shrugging. "I guess I'm wondering just how far your Gryffindor loyalty lies."

James thought about it for a minute before leaning forward again. "If someone I loved was in danger, then I would most likely already be at fault for getting them into danger, so I'd say that yeah, I'd probably owe it to them at that point."

"Even if it wasn't your fault?"

James shrugged and leaned back against his couch. "I'm not friends with people who I wouldn't lay my life down for."

Draco smiled and replaced the leaf under his tongue once again, silencing himself for the remainder of the night.

 _But what if you found out that the person you thought you knew in fact wasn't that person at all?_ he thought.

* * *

 **Anyone care to venture a guess as to what James is trying to tell Draco in those flash-forward scenes we keep posting? Find out this spring in Chapter 32!**

 **Thanks and don't forget to review..**

 **Also, Happy International Women's Day to all our female readers out there XD**


	25. Doubts

**AN:** **Several readers have expressed concerns regarding Draco caring only about all things Gryffindor and that he is neglecting his Slytherin obligations. We will just say this...ALL IN GOOD TIME. We have not forgotten about Severus or Regulus and neither has Draco. Everything that is happening now is a lead-up for what is to happen later, so doncha worry!**

 **Disclaimer** **: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 25: DOUBTS

That nameless, faceless beast was getting closer and closer now, its mouth making terrible noises as it breathed. Its eyes were bulging red and its teeth pointed and sticking out of its mouth. Draco tried to scream as it came at him, but no sound came out. He was completely left alone in the dark, wandless and afraid. _It's just a dream,_ he kept telling himself. _All you have to do is wake up and it will all be over._ But the beast was now transforming before his eyes.

What was once an ugly, colourless evil, now became a beautiful, skeletal horse with skinny wings at its sides and no fangs whatsoever. Its eyes were not bulging and red like the beast's, but rather warm and soulful. And it wasn't making any scarring noises. In fact, it was looking at him like it understood him and praised him, just like he would like to be understood and praised. It was looking right into his very soul.

"OY!" Sirius shouted in his face.

Draco's eyes flew open.

"COME ON, MAN, I'VE BEEN TRYIN' TO WAKE YOU FOR TEN MINUTES ALREADY!"

"Would you please stop yelling?" Draco muttered, his hands covering his eyes to shield himself from the blinding light in the room.

"HE'S NOT YELLING..." said James's voice from faraway.

"Ugh, you guys are so loud," Draco repeated, moaning into his hands and wishing for the light to just go away already.

"Are you okay?" Remus was now saying, in a sort of muffled voice.

A cold hand was brought to Draco's forehead.

"Jeez, you're burning up, mate!"

"Should...should we get him up to the hospital wing?"

"Yeah, as if Madame Pomfrey will have anything useful for once..."

"HEY, don't insult her, that woman has performed _miracles_ , such that you would never even _dream of—_ "

"Okay guys, not the point...our buddy here has fallen sick."

"GUYS, I'M FINE!" Draco finally shouted, sitting up straight, eyes wide and finally seeing, mandrake leaf falling as he wiped at his mouth and stared at his friends.

The four boys were standing before him, some still in pajamas and some fully dressed, all looking startled.

"Hey, if you say so," said Sirius, smirking.

Draco rolled his eyes at him and sunk back into his pillow. If there was one thing he hated more than anything, it was getting up early.

"No, no, up you go!" Sirius cried, pulling Draco back up. "Come on, man, we're actually gonna be late!"

"What time is it?" Draco groaned, finally getting up from the bed and starting to pull off his shirt.

"Nearly half past," James answered from the doorway. "Seriously, hurry up, you turtles."

Draco finally dressed and started for the dormitory door when Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. Draco spun to see Sirius holding out his palm facing up, with the mandrake leaf resting on top.

"You forgot something," he said, smiling.

"Oh just leave it alone, already," Remus said, but Draco took it in his mouth without a word and followed James out the door.

He'd been right. They were seriously going to be late. There was virtually no one left in the common room and the sun outside was well on its way to the highest point. The boys scrambled out through the portrait hole quickly and hurried down the corridor and out of Gryffindor Tower. By the time they reached the Entrance Hall, the last of the crowd was making its way out into the chilly grounds.

"You guys better put your hats on!" Peter exclaimed, throwing his own hat over his head and fixing it nicely.

Draco shivered from the cold, which seemed to be doing a great job at waking him, and simply tightened the scarf around his neck. He didn't need bundling up too much. He'd always been immune to extremely cold weather.

"All this snow couldn't come at a more opportune time," Sirius declared, his tongue sticking out so he could collect snowflakes on it.

"Guys, I'm getting hungry, we should hurry up before all the tables at the Three Broomsticks fill up," James said, taking the lead. "And Sirius, grow up, man."

Sirius punched his shoulder hard but James did not reciprocate.

The two of them were walking ahead together while Draco, Remus and Peter followed behind, with Remus in the middle.

"Come _on_ , man!" Sirius cried to get James's attention but James only told him to cut it out and sped up a little more. Sirius glanced back at the others with a grin and ran on after him.

"You didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, did you?" Remus asked Peter.

"No," Peter answered, shaking his head. "I have no idea what's going on with him!"

Remus looked round at Draco. "You?"

Draco's head snapped up. "What?"

Remus sighed and looked ahead again. "Never mind."

By the time they reached the end of the hill, it was safe to say that the village was positively _packed_ from corner to corner. Every square inch of every shop from every corner was covered with at least three people standing on top of each other and yelling that they found that item first or they'd had dibs on that other item before. Just when Draco began to wonder what was all the fuss about, it hit him that this might be the last Hogsmeade Weekend before Christmas, which meant that everyone was doing their holiday shopping now.

"Why can't people just wait until the last minute like the rest of us?" Sirius complained as they finally managed to make it into the Three Broomsticks, which of course, was packed completely.

One of the waitresses kindly informed them that it'd be a twenty minute wait, and so they got stuck hanging around the door.

"Better in here than out there where it's cold," Remus offered, but he was thoroughly ignored by the other boys. James still seemed upset over whatever and Sirius was grinning more now than ever. Peter was looking positively confused from what was going on and Draco was still pondering over his nightmare and how ridiculous yet so real it had been.

"We're supposed to have one more Hogsmeade weekend before the holidays," Peter was now saying, "But everything is really cheap now so that's why it's so crowded today. It'll get more expensive in a week or two."

Draco nodded along, barely listening to what anybody was saying.

Once their table was finally ready and their meals finally ordered, James excused himself to go to the bathroom and disappeared for a good ten minutes.

"What do you guys reckon?" Sirius said finally. "He died in there?"

"Dude, shut up and go check on him!" Remus cried, provoking a laugh out of Sirius.

"Alright, alright," he said, getting up from the table and heading to the back.

"That guy won't amount to more than a bartender if he keeps it up like this," Remus said mostly to himself.

"Who, Sirius?" said Peter.

Remus glanced at Draco and shook his head slowly. Draco smiled softly.

"Oh, there's Professor McGonagall!" Peter cried out, suddenly jumping from the table, fixing up his hair and running out of the bar.

Remus turned in his seat to watch his friend for a few minutes and then turned back to Draco.

"He's really nervous about that paper he had to write last week," he explained. "Been bothering her about it every chance he got—hey listen, are you alright?"

"Mhm," Draco said, shrugging.

"You don't look well," Remus observed.

"I'm not sick," Draco mumbled, the leaf on his tongue making him seriously question how he would eat his food when it finally arrived.

"Well I'm not questioning your health here," Remus said. "More like your mental state."

"You calling me mental?" said Draco finally.

Remus laughed. "Nah, just...you look like you've got a lot on your mind." Draco looked up at him. "What's going on?"

There was a long pause, in which Draco seriously wondered whether or not Remus would understand if he told him. It was easy now, in broad daylight, to think back on the dream and say how ridiculous it was, but...

"Alright, here you go, young men," said the waitress, finally arriving at their table with five full plates floating behind her. She waved her wand and they settled themselves on the table neatly.

"Thanks a lot," Remus told her.

"Enjoy!" she said, winking at Draco before retreating to the bar.

Remus turned his head to watch her go and then smirked at Draco. "I think she likes you."

Draco shrugged this off. His mind was completely boggled this morning.

"So you're looking forward to your lesson with Dumbledore tonight?" Remus asked casually.

"Mhm," Draco said, nodding at his plate.

"Watcha gonna be learning?"

Draco looked up, frowning. "That's really up to Dumbledore, not me."

"No I know," said Remus, "I just...I dunno, I thought maybe he lets you have a say in it from time to time..."

"No," Draco mumbled, looking back down. "He doesn't."

Remus nodded. "Well...will there be any upcoming games for you to concentrate on?"

Draco shook his head and mumbled, barely audibly, "Gryffindor isn't set to play till after the holidays."

Remus nodded again. He looked around the bar, looking bored, and then finally settled his eyes on Draco and sighed. "So, you wanna tell me now what's bothering you or wait until the next time we're alone?"

Draco let out a laugh, and then, realizing how right Remus was, he pulled the leaf to the side of his mouth and immediately jumped into the tale, not missing a single detail in his retell. And Remus listened carefully without interrupting, a concentrated look on his face. When Draco was finally done, Remus had comprehension written all over his face.

"I can see where you'd be worried," he began, his voice full of expertise, "But it was only just a dream."

"And a very random one at that," Draco pitched in. "I mean, I have no idea what would have brought this on."

"I have some idea," said Remus. Draco sat up and Remus smiled. "Oh come on, you honestly don't see it?" Draco shook his head. Remus leaned forward, lowering his voice slightly. "You've been really hard at work and concentrated on this animagus thing lately—I'm sure it's all you've been thinking about. And the meditation can really get to your head. I assume you've been meditating regularly?"

Draco nodded. "Every night before bed."

"It totally makes sense," Remus assured him. "It's not that random for you to start having dreams about what your animagus could possibly amount to, even though I think it's safe to say that you and I both know what it'll end up being."

Draco checked over his shoulder again before replying, very quietly, "You see _that's_ what I'm afraid of!"

"What do you mean?" Remus frowned.

"You haven't told the others what my patronus is," Draco stated.

"W-well no, I thought you would..." Remus started, but Draco snapped his fingers.

"See? They haven't got a clue! And when they find out they'll probably start asking me questions...like...like about death a-and stuff..."

"So?" said Remus.

"You...ugh, you don't get it."

"No, I really don't," said Remus. "Draco, you're being ridiculous. Having a thestral as your patronus and even as your animagus does not mean that you have seen death. I mean you _haven't_ seen death, have you?"

Draco looked up at him in alarm. "No, of course not."

"So then I don't see what you're so worried about," said Remus, simply. "And it's not like the guys will judge you. Hell, Peter is a _rat_ and we don't judge _him!"_

Draco sighed. He supposed Remus was right, but he still didn't think he'd very much like the idea of having a thestral for an animagus. Sure, it was a beautiful creature and all, but it just wasn't him.

He sighed again and looked at Remus.

"You know you sound a lot like Dumbledore most of the time," he said.

Remus blushed slightly before growing very serious. "You've talked to Dumbledore about this?"

"Well he taught me the Patronus Charm, but—oh god no, he doesn't know anything about _that_ ," he said quickly.

Remus nodded. "Good, good...best we keep it that way. The last thing we need around here is for Dumbledore to know that these three idiots are animagi and that you're on your way to becoming one as well."

Peter finally rejoined them at the table, his body shivering slightly.

"Did you get a hold of her?" Remus asked.

Peter nodded and rubbed his hands together to keep warm. "James and Sirius not back yet?"

"Yeah, I thought they were hungry..." Remus's voice trailed off at the sight of the two boys coming out of the washroom and joining them back at the table.

"Finally!" Sirius cried, grabbing his fork and dipping into his food at once.

Remus, Peter and Draco stared at him and James in shock.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Remus said before Draco could.

"Nothing," James said, shrugging. He glanced at Peter once and then began eating his food too.

Remus met Draco's eyes and they both shook their heads slowly.

At the end of the meal, the boys got up from the table and started to dress. James claimed he needed to get something from Zonko's and Sirius wanted to stop by Honeydukes on the way back to the castle. They were already halfway out the door with Peter when Remus and Draco finally finished and started getting up too.

"You feeling a bit better?" Remus asked him, and Draco nodded silently, not sure whether that was the truth or not.

Remus thought for a long minute and then shook his head abruptly. "You shouldn't dwell on dreams so much." Draco looked up at him. "It didn't mean anything."

Draco nodded his head again and his friend patted him on the back once. He had no idea how good it felt to have someone else say that out loud.

That night's lesson with Dumbledore was just as frustrating as the one before it had been, especially since Draco had to take out his leaf completely so as to hide his mission from Dumbledore. This only meant that he'd have to wear it the entire next day without taking it out even for a second, just to make up for the night before. But aside from this, what was even more frustrating was that he wasn't getting anywhere with this legilimancy thing and he was starting to wonder whether he was completely useless in this dark art form. He still couldn't wrap his head around _Dumbledore_ of all people teaching him how to perform it. He'd always reckoned that adult Snape would have been the person to teach him this. But sadly, adult Snape wasn't around to teach Draco, and his younger version wasn't either, come to think of it.

Ever since the match, Snape had mysteriously disappeared. He was never anywhere at the same time that Draco was, and in classes, he sat way on the other side as usual so as to avoid crossing paths with Draco. But Draco wasn't giving up. He knew that he would get his moment of confrontation. He'd make sure of it.

As Christmas slowly drew nearer and the homework piles grew heftier, the weather became chillier and snowier, making the Christmas spirit very much alive throughout the castle. Dumbledore had ordered the Christmas trees up in the Great Hall and within a matter of hours they were all decorated and lit up festively. Every inch of the Gryffindor common room was decorated in red or green or gold, with mini colourful lights hung beautifully along the ceiling and walls. The grand Christmas tree put up in the common room was already sporting a few nicely decorated presents underneath, and as the days passed, more collected.

With all this Christmas spirit suddenly booming in the castle, Draco realized that he couldn't run away from the fact that he still didn't have a date to this Slug Club party thing, and by the looks of it, neither did Remus. They both pretended like it wasn't a big deal and they hadn't noticed, but time was running out quickly.

Draco supposed that this normally wouldn't be that difficult of a task if he didn't have a mandrake leaf stuck to his tongue, thus making him mumble like an idiot. Just the thought of asking a girl—any girl—out to this thing when he couldn't even talk properly was...revolting.

But all was well and no one seemed to be paying attention to this at all...until December 10.

James came into the common room all happy and thrilled for the first time in a full week, and Draco and the others instantly sat up, knowing that whatever this was, it was going to be real good.

"What's up?" Sirius said at once, expecting some marvelous tale of a glorious adventure.

"Nothing," said James, simply. "Can't a man be happy with his life?"

"Not when he's been sulking around for the last week like someone's died," said Remus. "What's going on, man?"

James sighed and smiled again, sitting back on the couch and looking quite at peace.

"I just found out some rather relieving news is all."

"Yeaah...?" said Sirius.

"You know that _thing_ that had me ticked off last week?" James said to him. Comprehension suddenly slapped Sirius in the face and he grinned widely.

"Oh?"

"Well let's just say...it's been taken care of."

"By yours truly?" said Sirius, grinning stupidly.

"Guys, what the hell is going on?" said Remus, suddenly fed up. "Seriously, enough with the secrets! Will you just tell us already?"

James and Sirius both laughed and then Sirius turned to look at the others.

"Prongs here was having a little bit of a fit because he thought Lily asked some kid out to this Slug Club Christmas thing..."

"She did?" said Draco.

"Nope, it was just a rumour," James said happily.

"Who...?" said Remus.

"That blonde bloke from Hufflepuff...what's his name?" said Sirius, snapping his fingers as he tried to remember.

"Johnny Smithers," James hissed, looking disgusted.

"So...you're hoping that she'll ask you then?" Remus asked, looking slightly terrified at James's reaction to his suggestion.

"Pffft no," said James, to his and everyone else's surprise. "I'm just, you know, keeping to myself...not trying to get my hopes up about anything..."

"So yes basically," Sirius answered Remus's question.

"Shut up," James told him and Sirius laughed again.

Draco sat back, his eyes on his Potions book again and a frown on his face.

"And speaking of," James said, raising his voice slightly, "Are you two ever gonna pluck up the courage already and get yourselves dates for that night?"

Remus suddenly got very busy with his shoelace and Draco simply shrugged. As he'd thoroughly predicted, Frank didn't waste any time in asking Alice because literally the day right after he'd received his invitation, Draco saw the two of them laughing about how fun that evening was going to be. And since Draco wasn't really familiar with any other girls in his year (or at least, in Gryffindor), he was starting to think that he might have to go stag, as embarrassing as that would be.

"Who you going with?" Sirius suddenly asked Remus.

Remus looked up and shrugged slightly. "I haven't...I mean I...I don't know yet."

"Well you'd better hurry up, mate, before it's too late," Sirius said.

"Hey speaking of late, where on earth is Wormtail?" said James, suddenly sitting up and looking around the common room. "It's nearly curfew."

"I dunno," Sirius shrugged, grabbing an apple from a nearby fruit basket and biting into it. "Have you got the map with you?"

The boys paused.

 _"He_ does, actually," Remus said.

"Ah, I'm sure it's nothing," said Sirius, dismissively. "Probably went off to bug McGonagall again—you know, she really is taking her precious time with that paper of his."

When Peter finally returned to the common room, he looked all flushed and nervous. He immediately excused himself to bed and was already snoring when the boys went up to the dormitory two hours later. The boys easily dismissed this and pretended like nothing happened when they met up at breakfast next day. But that night, as all things eventually do, everything became clear to everyone.

The boys were doing homework again near the fireplace and Draco and Remus were in the middle of a very intense session of quizzing each other on Chapter 12 of the Transfiguration book when Lily suddenly walked up to their table from her little corner.

"Hey Lily," said Remus at once.

"Hey," she answered, smiling. "I just wanted to ask if maybe you'd want to revise together tomorrow afternoon."

"Yeah for sure," said Remus. "I need you to look over my Runes essay."

"And I need your notes for chapter 28 in Arithmancy," she responded. "You remember I was out sick the day we covered that."

Remus nodded.

"Great so I'll see you at the library then? Around five?" Lily said, ignoring the fact that James was watching her right now as intently as though she were talking to _him_ and not Remus, careful not to miss a word she was saying.

"Yep, sounds like a plan," said Remus.

"Hey Evans," said Sirius, suddenly crossing his legs like a puppy and grinning up at her. "You weren't actually going to take a sleazeball like Smithers to Slughorn's Christmas party, were you?"

Lily turned her head to look at him. "That _sleazeball_ happens to be a really nice guy—but no, I wasn't."

"Huh," said Sirius. "Wonder where all the rumours came from then."

"What rumours?" said Lily at once.

But Sirius only waved her off and sat back. "Doesn't matter anyway—it's not like you'd have the guts to ask anyone to this thing."

A mischievous smile itched its way onto Lily's face and she crossed her arms. "As a matter of fact, funny you should say that…" Sirius turned to look at her, amazed.

"Well how about that," he said. "So who'd you end up asking? Reese? Fred? Oh, that dark haired guy in Ravenclaw with the zit on his nose?"

"Shut up, Sirius Black!" Lily cried suddenly. "You know, you're not even going to this thing so I don't see why you care."

"Hey," said Sirius, suddenly getting to his feet, his apple core falling to the table. "Any chance to have a laugh, no?"

Lily glared at him and then, within seconds, she was chasing him about the common room, yelling threats and trying to catch him while he laughed and tripped over students' books and things.

Remus laughed too as he watched them, but neither Draco nor James were laughing, as both their eyes were on Peter, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, frown on his face, looking as though he wished he could transform into the rat right there and then.

"Peter?" said James.

Peter swallowed loudly and took a deep breath before looking up at him.

" _I_ - _I'm_ the one...who she asked to the party..."

* * *

"Calm _down_ about it already," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at James who continued to glare at Lily from the other end of the Gryffindor table two days later.

"Fucking ridiculous," James muttered under his breath while stabbing his eggs with his fork, his eyes on Lily all the while.

She was laughing with a couple of girls about something and completely oblivious to how mad James had been at her for the last two days. Sirius turned to look at Draco and shook his head. And he was right to, too. It was official—James had lost it. He had truly, _truly_ lost it.

"I mean it's so stupid, anyway," he was saying now, his eyes still on Lily, "She _knows_ that I know about the party because you lot were invited and you're my friends...she _knows_ that I know you lot are supposed to bring guests, and then she up and asks one of my friends instead of me. Like, you see how ridiculous this is, right?" He turned to Remus and raised his eyebrows.

"Mhm," said Remus, who appeared to be hardly listening as he scammed the Morning Prophet.

Disappointed, James looked to Sirius.

"Yeah," said Sirius at once, feigning agreement. "Definitely."

James looked at Draco. _"You_ at least see what's going on here, don't you?"

Draco raised his own eyebrows, waiting.

"She's baiting me!" James cried out. Some second years sitting nearby jumped in their seats from how frightened they got.

"James, _calm down_ ," said Sirius, but James was clearly not listening, as his eyes went back to Lily.

"She's doing this on purpose—I can tell she is," he said.

Draco and Sirius sighed in unison and busied themselves with their plates. It was pointless arguing. James was going to believe whatever James wanted to believe and they'd be stupid to try and convince him otherwise. At least Peter was not there that morning—that made things slightly easier.

Ever since finding out that Lily had asked Peter to the Slug Christmas party, James hadn't shown any sign of resentment towards his friend or even anger. In fact, he acted like everything was fine and he wasn't frustrated. He had the courtesy to only show his true feelings about this when Peter wasn't with them, so as not to make him feel bad. Knowing Peter, Draco was sure the kid was beyond thrilled that someone— _even Lily Evans—_ had asked him out, _even if_ it was just as friends. But still, that did not stop Draco from blurting out to her the second they bumped into each other in the hall on the way to class,

"Since when have you had the hots for Peter Pettigrew?"

Lily rolled her eyes at him but only walked away, her books clutched tightly under her arms. When she reached the end of the stairwell, they predictably clambered out of her arms and all over the stone-hard floor. Draco looked around the nearly deserted corridor, sighed deeply, and walked over to help her pick them up, all while slowly shifting the mandrake leaf (which was starting to feel really weird) to the side of his mouth so that he could speak audibly for two or three minutes.

"You know, if you weren't so careless, people would be much happier," he muttered, handing Lily _Advanced Potion Making_.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, grabbing as many books as she could without his help.

"Just what it sounds like," Draco answered, piling more books into her arms. "If you don't drop your stuff, I don't have to help you pick them up, and then James doesn't have to see me helping you clean them up, and then I don't have to go convincing James that there's nothing going on between us."

Lily let out a cold laugh. "Between _us?_ Don't humour me."

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"That's absurd," Lily added, now kneeling back up and adjusting some of the books so that they wouldn't fall.

"Is it, now?" said Draco. "Because you go around preaching that you're all quiet and innocent and you haven't ever been with anyone, but then there go these three guys completely head over heels for you—"

"It's not _my_ fault that they're head over heels for me," she suddenly interrupted. "I'm not going to stop taking care of myself just so that these guys could get over themselves—"

"No, better to have an army of worshippers at your service, right?" said Draco, handing her the last book and turning to go.

"Hey," she called after him.

He turned back.

"You said _three_ ," she said, one eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face.

Draco rolled his eyes at her and walked away. Three, five, seven—what did it matter, really?

By the time Draco got to Charms class, he realized how much this whole thing with Peter actually angered him. Lily asking him, even if it was just as friends, was a bigger deal than she thought, because James was right—she was either baiting him or playing some other game in general. As far as Draco knew, he'd only seen her talk to Peter twice ( _maybe three)_ times that year alone. And suddenly, she had this mad interest to take him as her date for the party?

No. Something else was definitely going on here.

As per usual, Draco attended the Charms lesson but did not hear a word of what Flitwick said. At the end of the lesson, Draco quickly hurried away from the Marauders so that he could find the one person he knew he had to take to this thing—the only person he'd go with, really. It was either going to be her, or no one. It was already mid-December and he'd still only gotten acquainted with three girls in Gryffindor…he wasn't about to take someone he'd never even spoken to, even if he had many admirers.

"Honestly, you could just take your pick and they'd go with you," Sirius had told him the previous night when they'd scoured the halls for suitables.

It was funny, Draco hadn't noticed it before, but girls who passed by him, especially Gryffindor ones, were always blushing furiously or giggling or whispering and looking at him with shy smiles. He'd been so preoccupied with the trillion amount of things he had on his list to even notice this marvelous fact. Never, in all seventeen years that he'd been alive, had he ever received _this much_ attention from the female population.

The things he could do with this...

He finally located the person he was looking for, sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with a book propped up against the orange juice pitcher. Draco did not hesitate as he walked over to the table and took a seat.

"Oh, hey," Mary said, looking up at him with a kind smile. "How are you?"

"Do you want to come to the Slug party with me next week?" Draco blurted out, breathless.

Mary's eyes went slightly round.

"...as friends, of course..." Draco added, quite unsubtly.

Mary let out a small laugh. "I...wow..."

"I just, I dunno I thought maybe you'd like to come," Draco added.

"I...don't know..." Mary said, looking down. "I'm not sure I'd have anyone to talk to there."

"Sure you would," said Draco quickly. "Lily will be there. A bunch of people from Ravenclaw too."

Mary looked up, surprised. "What makes you think I'm interested in the Ravenclaws?"

Draco shrugged. "I dunno, I pegged you as a Ravenclaw when I first met you."

Mary laughed. "That's odd..."

"Anyway, will you go?"

There was a pause.

"Well what about...I mean..." Mary suddenly reddened slightly. "I can't decide this."

Draco offered a smile. "It's not a marriage proposal…I'm not offering you some life or death ultimatum. I'm a friend, asking another friend to accompany me to a night that I unfortunately can't get out of. And misery loves company, so will you do me the great favour of coming with me?"

Mary laughed again. "I'm sorry but I can't decide this right now. I need to...can I get back to you?"

Draco smiled. "Absolutely—you know where to find me."

Mary smiled too.

But the rest of the week passed and still, Draco didn't hear anything back from her. He was starting to wonder whether asking her had been a mistake—she had all these trust issues with people that he really didn't want to get in the way of—but then Monday rolled around and before he knew it, it was time for his afternoon free period. And that could only mean one thing. Without thinking twice about it, Draco collected all his things from Astronomy, bid Remus and Peter farewell as they headed off to their next classes, and hurried as quickly as he could, pushing past the slow crowds in the hallways.

Just when he turned the corner to the seventh floor corridor, the idea hit him that Severus might actually not show up. But then the idea faded just as quickly at the sight of him sitting in his usual spot, cross-legged and head bent over the Half Blood Prince's book. Draco stopped at the end of the corridor, smiled of relief, and then hurried to Severus's side. Severus looked up at him, shock plastered on his face.

"I..."

"...didn't think you'd see me?" Draco said, sitting next to him. "Yeah well, evidently, you don't know me well yet. I'm fearless, Severus. I have no problem saying what I think to anyone's face."

Severus swallowed nervously.

"And I have a mouthful to say to you," Draco added, crossing his own legs and looking Severus in the eye. Severus only nodded, preparing for the worst. "You need to cut this worship crap already, okay?"

Severus stared at Draco. "W-what?"

"I'm serious, it's creeping me the fuck out!" Draco continued. "Honestly, I'd prefer it if you just went back to being that stuck-up, not-afraid-to-say-anything-to-anyone kid I met earlier this year."

"But—"

"And it's really creepy, man, the way you're following me around like some lost puppy dog, willing to do anything and everything I say? I mean—" he let out a nervous laugh, "—I'm no Wilkes! And I certainly don't want to be, so just...cool it off, okay?"

"I don't understand," said Severus, suddenly. He sat up. "I thought...I mean I...I honestly thought you'd come here and yell at me about what went down two weeks ago..."

"Oh you mean the match?" said Draco. "Well, I guess it hasn't hit me yet…you know, quite the betrayal...I'm sure within a few hours it'll _really_ hit me and I'll have no choice but to punch you in the face."

Severus let out a laugh and looked down. "Listen, I honestly did not mean for it to happen."

"Sure," said Draco, pretending to agree.

"I just...I only told Regulus, I swear no one else, he took care of the rest, it was all him."

Draco sighed deeply. It was so Slytherin of Severus to put the blame on someone else—it was exactly the sort of thing that Draco himself used to do, but now that he was a Gryffindor, the values that came with the house were starting to rub off on him and he was becoming a lot more… _nice_ , as much as he hated admitting that. It was revolting, really. But a cover story was a cover story.

"So...you shared everything with Regulus then," Draco said instead, his hands rolled into fists at his sides.

"Yeah," said Severus. "And I wasn't going to, honestly...but..."

Draco looked up at him. "But what?"

"Well...he's not been doing well ever since Wilkes..."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah...and also since you're not talking to him now..."

"Whoa," said Draco, at once, "Back up there a second— _he's_ the one not talking to _me_ , not the other way around!"

"It doesn't matter, Draco, the point is that he's really beat up about it and I felt bad for the poor kid, he's not been himself in a while now...and he had a game coming up whereas all these moves were useless to _me_...I did what anyone in my situation would have done and if I had to, I would do it again."

Draco looked down.

"So...he's really doing bad?"

Severus hesitated. "I think you should talk to him."

Draco looked away. Regulus was just that one regret in his life right now which did not need more complicating. He was so afraid that he'd fucked up the kid far beyond repair, he'd rather do ten legilimancy lessons in a row than go and have that talk with him. He looked up at Severus again.

"I have to admit, I didn't know how to react when I saw your team showcasing _my_ moves…the moves that _I_ taught _you_ , with an understanding that they'd be just between _us._ "

"I know," said Severus quietly. "And if you want to punch me in the face, go ahead." Draco waited. "I have been looking out for Regulus ever since the beginning, unlike his _brother._ I will continue to look out for him until the very end."

Draco frowned at these words, wondering exactly what the end would be…if he was correct in guessing, then Regulus's demise was scheduled for the end of his last year at Hogwarts, which left Draco two years from now to try and save him from this terrible fate. Just thinking about it made his head spin—that he had more responsibility for this kid's life than even Dumbledore could know.

He looked up at Severus now.

"The night of the full moon," he began, acknowledging it for the first time since, "Back in the Shrieking Shack, your wand broke. It snapped, I saw it."

Severus looked away.

"I _saw_ it, Severus, it broke and then in the woods you had another, perfectly _un_ broken wand at your service!" He eyed Severus carefully. "Talk, Severus."

The boy looked up. "I'm not the only Slytherin with a few wands at his service, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean that we have to protect ourselves, okay? And wands, they break. They snap. It happens. You can't go walking around with just one wand and rely on the fact that everything is going to be okay. You've gotta have backup."

"From what?" said Draco, at once. "What are you so afraid of? What backup do you need? Against what?"

Severus leaned forward. "We're in the middle of a national _war,_ in case you haven't noticed. Death Eaters are targeting just as much as they are being targeted. It's not safe to walk the streets... _especially_ if you're a Slytherin."

"Funny, I'd think it was the other way around," said Draco. "Mudbloods have it worse now than anyone else."

Severus frowned at hearing Draco using such a crude word, and so, in an attempt to steer the direction to less dangerous routes, he added, "Look, I understand why you did what you did with the match and with Regulus. I would have done the same thing, no less..." he leaned forward. "But those moves that I taught you, showing people that... _that_ was a dangerous move."

Severus looked like he wanted to ask why but instead nodded his head and gave Draco an encouraging smile.

"You may be a Gryffindor or whatever, but you're a lot like the rest of us Slytherins."

Draco smiled too. He couldn't help it. Slytherin was in his blood, no matter what any talking hat said now.

He felt a lot better after his talk with Severus because it meant that first, they were no longer avoiding each other, and second, Severus was back to his usual, normal self and Draco didn't need to feel like a Wilkes replacement anymore. At least _something_ was going his way in this timeline.

And speaking of things going his way, by Tuesday, James and Sirius announced that Draco was ready to take out his leaf for good. He felt so completely relieved to do that—the leaf had been a nuisance the entire three weeks that he'd had it. His meditation was improving with each night too. He was already seeing a shape forming and predictably, it was looking a lot like a large creature with four legs. Draco wasn't sure how he felt about this yet, but he knew there was a shred of hope in him that it would end up being something wicked, _wicked_ cool. The marauders (minus Remus) were already placing their bets on what it would end up being, and according to Remus, they'd done this for each of them too. Draco felt slightly honoured, that they were so invested in what his shape would end up as. It was a strange feeling, too.

But Remus himself was not hiding the fact that he disapproved of Draco's pursuit a great deal. Every time the subject came up, Remus tried to steer it away and talk about something else. Like on Wednesday night for example, three days before the Slug party, James and Sirius were discussing some of their bets with Draco when Remus suddenly decided to break the news that he officially had a date. And of course, as he'd predicted, it caught everyone's attention and they forgot all about Draco's animagus, or at least for the time being.

"Alright, pal!" Sirius cried, patting him on the back once. "So who is it?"

"Her name's Lyra Miller," Remus said. "She's a fifth year in Ravenclaw and yes, we're going as _just friends._ "

Sirius groaned and James winked at Remus. Remus sighed happily and turned to Draco.

"Have you heard back from...?"

Draco shook his head at once and looked down at his Dark Arts book.

"Wait, who?" said Sirius at once, sitting up like an excited puppy. "YOU ASKED SOMEONE?!"

"Whoa man, why didn't you tell us?" said James, whose mood had improved significantly over the last few days, on the grounds that if Lily wanted to play games, he'd play them with her (and 'just as well').

"I...because she said she'd let me know..." Draco mumbled.

Sirius burst into laughter.

"Shut up, Sirius," said James. He turned back to Draco. "Who's this girl and what the hell's wrong with her that she needs to think about it?"

Draco bit his lip, wondering if he should say it or not. He glanced at Remus, who nodded his head once, indicating that he agreed he should. Draco sighed. Remus did know the boys better than him...

"Mary Macdonald."

Sirius's stupid smile faced in an instant.

 _"M-Mary?"_ he said, looking puzzled as ever.

"Yeah," said Draco, simply. "I asked her to go with me...as friends."

"Well then," said James, feeling awkward, "I guess that explains why she needs to think about it. We all know Mary's not been herself since...well she's...a cautious girl."

At that moment, some terrified looking third year boy walked up to Draco in the common room and nervously handed him a folded up piece of parchment. Draco frowned at the boy and took it in his hands, but before he could say anything, the boy hurried away. Peter laughed.

Remus was the only one who looked curious as to what the note said as Draco started to unfold it. Meanwhile, James leaned over to Sirius and was now whispering something.

 _Dear Draco,_

 _Seeing as how you have been invited to Professor Slughorn's annual Christmas dinner this Saturday night, I've decided to move our weekly lesson to Friday night, same time, same place. Kindly make it an effort to attend as it is a crucial lesson indeed. Hope you are doing well,_

 _Dumbledore_

Draco shrugged at Remus who gave him a thumbs-up. Then, Sirius sat up again.

"When did you ask Mary?" said Sirius.

"Just last week," said Draco simply, the letter already in his pocket. "Guys, honestly, it's not that surprising. I know all of three girls in Gryffindor and I ain't bloody about to take no Ravenclaw, no offense, Remus."

Remus shook his head dismissively.

"Okay," said Sirius. "Yeah, Mary sounds like a good choice. So, uh, you'll let us know what she says after?"

"Yeah," said Draco, turning back to his book, though with a frown. Sirius did not say another word for the rest of the night.

Draco supposed he could understand it—going after your friend's ex's rarely is the wise thing to do. But he wasn't pursuing her _romantically_ or anything, and he'd even made that clear when he'd asked her. So really, he didn't see anything wrong with the two of them going together. But was that why she had told him she had to think about it? Because of Sirius?

"Don't worry about it so much," James assured him when they were getting ready for bed and Sirius went to brush his teeth. "He just worries about her a great deal but I don't think he's still hung up on her. Come to think of it, he's never hung up on any one girl."

"Even if he was, though," Draco muttered, "She and I hung out a couple of times, sort of...I'd consider her a friend."

"Mhm," said James, pulling his shirt on and ruffling his hair a bit.

"I was initially gonna ask Alice but then I realized she'd rather go with Frank and good for them."

"Yeah," said James, now getting into bed and stretching.

"And then my next thought went to Mary," Draco concluded. He thought for a minute and then laughed. "I mean, better her than Lily, right?"

James's head snapped up quickly and Draco grinned at him.

This never got old.

* * *

 **What do you guys think is stopping Mary? Let us know by commenting below!**


	26. Responsibility

**AN : ****Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

 **Also, we do read each and every single review and we'll tell you this...a lot of you are wrong and a lot of you are right, in so many different ways. So we're just going to enjoy this for a little while ;)**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 26: RESPONSIBILITY 

"But what I don't understand is how you come to that conclusion...if what you're saying coincides with the facts of the case (and it does), then where comes the result that the victim was able to perform a nonverbal spell _before_ the perpetrator killed him?"

"I don't know, but like, isn't it weird that the vase just sort of exploded on its own?"

Claybrook shrugged simply. "When there are large amounts of magic being performed in one room at a single time, powers have the ability of escaping their masters, very briefly of course. No one is an ideal wizard, Miss Brown."

"I just...I dunno, I mean you told us to think outside the box, professor, and you've been focusing on nonverbal spells more than anything else so far this year, so I figured the two were connected to this case..." said Emily Brown.

Claybrook shifted on his desk and bit into his apple again.

"I am trying to get you to dig deeper, Miss Brown," he sighed. "I am not telling you that you are wrong—I am asking you to explain to me your reasoning."

"And I have explained it, professor," said the girl, looking thoroughly confused.

Slightly annoyed, Claybrook looked away from her and scanned the classroom for a few moments before his eyes landed on Remus.

"Care to offer some insight here, Mr. Lupin?"

Remus looked up from his notes, not knowing what to say.

"He's gonna explode now, watchit," Sirius whispered in Draco's ear. Draco suppressed a laugh.

So far in the year, Remus had made it perfectly clear to pretty much everyone that Claybrook was his least favourite professor at Hogwarts. And every chance that he got, he argued with the professor—and all the rest of the class never lost interest in watching his feeble attempts to outsmart the undoubtedly experienced, well-informed man. Draco had grown to respect Claybrook, but he'd also grown to really care for Remus as well, so he knew better than to poke his nose in _this_ particular matter. Whatever it was about Claybrook that bothered Remus, it wasn't Draco's business.

"I never said anything about nonverbal spells in this case, professor," Remus answered now, his eyes at the board behind rather than at the teacher.

Claybrook sighed again. "Well then allow me to refresh the facts of the case for you, once again, and you can make an educated guess as to what is going on here." He hopped off the desk and tossed his apple core into the nearest garbage can before turning to face the class. "The mouse was sitting on the window ledge when two wizards entered the room promptly at noon on a Thursday in December. They spoke briefly before choosing to embark on their duel. They were the only ones in the room, where there were a few tables with a few vases on them. Nothing else. There was no one else in the room. The wizards both had their wands out and shouted their spells out _verbally._ Just before one wizard killed off the other, a vase exploded in the room and shattered to bits and pieces, almost hitting the perpetrating wizard. Unfortunately for the victim wizard, the vase shattered a couple of seconds too late. As for the perpetrating wizard, he did not manage to cast a protective charm because he'd been preoccupied with killing his companion, but he did duck. And that physical act alone was what saved his life in that moment. So my question is...what caused the vase to shatter?"

"Well," said Remus, also shifting in his seat slightly. "It's like you said then, professor. They were using large amounts of magic at a single time so some of it was bound to slip away and I guess one of their spells hit the vase at some point."

"That's what _I_ think," said Claybrook, impatiently, "But I want to know what _you_ think."

Remus opened his mouth but nothing came out. Looking actually fairly pleased with himself, Claybrook turned away from him.

"What about you, Draco?"

Draco suddenly looked up, alarmed at being called by his first name by a _teacher._

"Sir?" he said, slowly and casually shifting his quill away from the spot on his notebook where he'd been drawing a winged horse.

"I want to know what _you_ think of this case," Claybrook repeated.

Everyone in the classroom turned in their seats to face Draco. Beside him, Sirius tried to make himself small so that he wouldn't be picked on next. His own notebook was sporting a very thorough sketch of Wilkes with two long braids and a plaid skirt.

"I..." said Draco, his eyes landing on James next to Remus, who also looked like he was out of answers. Why on earth was Claybrook doing this? Did he not realize that it was too early in the day to be thinking this deeply?

"I would...I mean I think I'd question the mouse's relevance in the story..." he mumbled.

Claybrook tilted his head slightly. "Indeed—why do you say that?"

"Well you clearly went into great detail about the story...so you want us to know the details...and every other detail seemed relevant, so I'm just wondering why it's important for us to know that there is a mouse on the window ledge. I mean, how does that help us in any way?"

"And?" said Claybrook.

Draco glanced once at Sirius and then at James before saying, "My money is on the mouse being an animagus."

"Whoa," said Emily Brown from the front of the classroom. She turned to look at Draco. "That's just absurd, okay? Animagi have _nothing_ to do with this case! Don't go throwing in third year curriculum, _irrelevant_ facts and trying to confuse us all here!"

"Who said it's got to be absurd?" Draco argued back angrily. "The mouse is an animagus...it witnesses two wizards duelling. It senses things getting out of hand and thus, it performs a _nonverbal spell_ to try and calm the madness." He turned back to Claybrook. "Unfortunately for the victim wizard, he was too late, but the perpetrating wizard survived so the animagus was 50% successful in trying to resolve things. _And,_ that's another giveaway right there...it was only halfway successful, which is said to be true about wizards who try to perform spells—any spells—while transformed. Their efficiency is almost always cut down by at least half because of their physical state."

Claybrook now had a smile on his face and everyone in the class turned to look back at him. His eyes on Draco, he began to applaud. Several seconds later, the classroom was silent again and everyone was beyond confused.

"Now you're thinking like the dark arts," Claybrook told Draco, who sighed of relief.

As Claybrook turned back to the board and continued on with the lesson, finally moving the focus off of Draco, Sirius said "Daaaaaaamn" in his ear and gave him a thumbs-up. Draco shrugged. He was just mighty relieved to be out of the spotlight.

At the end of the lesson, Emily Brown, the angry-looking girl from Hufflepuff, pushed past him and out of the classroom.

"Jeez, what's with _her?"_ Sirius complained as he'd dropped a book. "Seriously, girls are way too emotional, man."

"Um, _excuse me..."_ said Lily, walking past him, "...while I try not to get _emotional_ on my way to Muggle Studies."

Sirius snorted and Lily walked out of the classroom with Mary. James walked over to Draco and gave him a high five.

"That was _bloody brilliant_ work there today, mate," he cried. "I was seriously impressed."

"I wasn't impressed," Remus said, "You didn't show us anything new today."

"Yeah, you've always been like way smarter than all of us," Peter agreed.

"Hey, I may not be book smart," Sirius began, guiding the way out of the classroom, "But I sure as hell know a lot about life."

"Mr. Black!"

Sirius froze, eyes round.

"Spoke too soon," he muttered under his breath, turning to look back. "Yes, professor?"

"Not you," said Claybrook, pointing at Draco.

Draco hesitated before walking back into the classroom.

"The rest of you, off you go," Claybrook said to the Marauders.

They too, hesitated and gave Draco worried looks before heading off. James closed the door behind him, leaving Draco alone with the professor, who was still standing behind his desk.

"I'm, uh, gonna be late for Muggle Studies," Draco tried.

"I only wanted to congratulate you on a job well done today," Claybrook explained. "That Emily Brown sure was starting to make me lose faith in my teaching skills, but you've reminded me that not everyone here is a total...well, for lack of a better way of saying it, a total loss..."

Draco stared at Claybrook, surprised to hear such things from a _teacher_.

"Yeah well," he said awkwardly, "Um, you're welcome then."

He turned to leave.

"I have something I've been meaning to ask you," Claybrook began.

Draco slowly turned to look at him again.

"Draco," he said, in a less formal voice now, "You and I both know that you are my best student in sixth year." Draco let out a small smile. "And students like you don't come around very often." _I'm sure,_ Draco thought. "And I have, somewhat of a request to ask of you..." _Uh-oh._ "You see, I have this student, in one of my younger classes, who is in need of, shall we say, a little bit of tutoring. Now, before you turn down the idea, let me assure you that this student is very brilliant as well. I have high hopes for him, but...he's not up to his usual standards lately and I'm worried it might cause him to fall behind farther than he can ever care to catch up."

"Wait," said Draco. "You...want me to... _tutor_ someone?"

"Yes," said Claybrook.

"Professor," said Draco instantly, "Look, I'm...flattered that you think so highly of me and I'd definitely be happy to...honour this request, I would...but I'm just so busy right now with like...school stuff and...Quidditch stuff and...m-more school stuff..."

"It would only be two, maybe three lessons maximum," Claybrook assured him. "This isn't a regular thing—I just want you to help him get back on track with things before he messes up beyond repair."

"Beyond repair," Draco repeated, laughing slightly. "I thought teachers aren't supposed to believe that of students."

"Do I look like your typical teacher?" said Claybrook.

Draco smiled again. He didn't understand why Remus hated the guy so much. He looked like an alright guy to him...one that he definitely respected, anyway.

"Just two lessons," Claybrook repeated.

"I..." said Draco, shrugging. Claybrook waited. "Two lessons then."

"Perfect," said Claybrook, happily. "You have third period free tomorrow and this student happens to have _my_ class at that time, so I've excused him from it so that he could meet with you." _Of course you did,_ Draco thought. "You will meet him in classroom 42C on the fourth floor just at the bell." He paused. "Oh, I realize you probably wanted to use that free period tomorrow to study but I reckon you're doing just fine in your classes that any last minute studying will be time wasted?"

Draco nodded slowly. Truth be told, he actually _was_ all ready for his exams. And they were only midterms anyway.

"Anything in particular that you want me to catch him up on?"

Claybrook smiled now. "Nonverbal spells, if you will."

"Nonverbal—how old is this kid, anyway?" cried Draco.

"He's a fifth year, no less," said Claybrook straightaway.

"Damn," said Draco. "I thought when you said kid you were talking about some second year or something..."

"No," laughed Claybrook. "I wouldn't put you through that."

Draco stared at him.

"So it's settled then," said Claybrook, clapping his hands once. "Now, you'll _really_ be late to Muggle Studies if you don't get going."

"Why me?"

"Well, while I admit I haven't known Professor Livesey for very long, she doesn't strike me as the type who likes it when her students are constantly late to her—"

"No, I mean, why did you ask _me_ to do this and not someone else?" said Draco. "I'm hardly the smartest student you have. There's Remus Lupin...there's Lily Evans...there's...James Potter... _Severus Snape..._ "

Claybrook paused.

"You have plenty of students in seventh year who are smart too, I'm sure," Draco went on. "Why, out of _everyone,_ you picked me?"

"You are the adoptive son of Albus Dumbledore," Claybrook declared, causing Draco to frown. What did _that_ have to do with this? "In the public's eye, you are prodigal. You are to continue Dumbledore's legacy throughout your entire life."

"I-I am?"

"Witches and wizards everywhere are expecting great things from you one day."

"They are?"

"And I know you wouldn't want to disappoint Dumbledore by not living up to said expectations," Claybrook continued. "You have been walking around this school for four months now, not once realizing the impact that you have on your fellow classmates. They look up to you, whether you like it or not."

"Yeah, but—"

"It is time for you to show more responsibility than just Quidditch, Draco."

Draco paused now to really look at Claybrook, and who he was starting to sound a lot like.

"Dumbledore put you up to this, didn't he?" he now said, in a somewhat quiet voice.

"Not exactly," said Claybrook. "I'll admit to having discussed this with him prior to asking you, but he and I are in agreement here."

"Of course you are," Draco muttered, now knowing exactly how to greet Dumbledore during their lesson tomorrow night.

"We are not trying to trick you here, son," Claybrook repeated. "We want you to take on more responsibility than you have so far. We are giving you a chance here."

"To tutor some random kid," Draco muttered.

"Baby steps," said Claybrook, smiling softly.

"Tutor someone?" said Sirius, a look of disgust on his face when Draco told the boys together at lunch.

"Yep," said Draco.

"But..." said Remus.

"We thought..." said James.

"Nope," said Draco, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

"I think it's cool," Peter offered.

Draco smiled at him briefly.

"Yeah, he's the only teacher who let us replace our midterm with a lively class debate," said James. "Sounds pretty cool to me."

Draco nodded. The rest of the day would consist of exams, exams and more exams. And tomorrow was going to be the same thing. How anxious he was for midterms to finally be over...

"He didn't like," said Remus, suddenly leaning forward, "He didn't say that you have no choice in this, did he?"

"Nah, it wasn't like that," Draco assured him. "He was...very convincing actually." The boys exchanged strange looks. "Look guys, he's right. People see me as some kid who's gonna one day rise up to Dumbledore's level."

"Damn right, you are," said James.

Draco shook his head at him. "I have no interest in ever doing that, I promise you. But because my life is very public right now, I should be doing all this...respectable stuff, I suppose...you know, to try and make things easier for Dumbledore. Otherwise he'll have a lot of explaining to do when Daily Prophet reporters barge into his office demanding to know why his adoptive son doesn't care about anything other than Quidditch and running around the woods as an animagus."

"Shhh!" hissed Sirius. "Quiet down, will you?"

Draco looked around at the noisy hall and then mouthed 'sorry' at his friend.

"A-and this wouldn't, by any chance, be some sort of a trick, would it?" Remus asked, cautiously keeping his voice levelled.

"Of course not," Draco said. "You know, I don't really get what you have against him. He seems perfectly—"

 _"Seems,"_ Remus repeated angrily before stabbing his food with a fork.

James rolled his eyes at him and shook his head at Draco who resolved to say nothing at all.

Definitely not a matter he wanted to get involved in.

The rest of the day was definitely quieter than the morning had been. Draco got through his Transfiguration exam in a jiffy and Charms was pretty excellent too. He and the Marauders spent the entire afternoon studying and by dinnertime, they were all ready for Potions tomorrow. But even so, Remus insisted on having Draco quiz him on some of the theory back in the common room. While they did this, Peter sat cross-legged on the couch and made notes of everything they said. James and Sirius started a game of Wizard's Chess on the carpet just next to them. They did this all evening until the last of the Gryffindors went up to bed. Then, Sirius let out a long yawn.

"Alright, I'm outta here," he declared, ducking James, who was about to push him again for winning yet another round.

"Yeah, I'm tired too," said Peter, rubbing his eyes.

"We should probably get some sleep if we're gonna ace that midterm tomorrow," Remus agreed, also getting up.

"You coming, Draco?" said James, noticing that Draco hadn't moved from his spot on the couch. He looked up at his friends.

"I'll be up soon," he said.

They shrugged and continued on upstairs, while Draco's eyes landed on the fireplace before him. The truth was, what Claybrook had said earlier really made Draco on edge now, because he was completely right. Draco's life was totally public and that meant that every move he made reflected Dumbledore. That was a huge burden to be carrying around. And if Draco messed up, even in the slightest way, Dumbledore may turn away from him completely. Sitting there in the common room now, he wondered how he couldn't see it sooner. He'd been so preoccupied with everything that _he_ had to deal with, that he'd completely neglected what _Dumbledore_ had to deal with, and probably on a daily basis too.

Suddenly, that lesson tomorrow night couldn't come sooner. Draco glanced at his watch, wondering if it was too late to go see Dumbledore tonight. And he was halfway out of the common room too, when he decided against it and turned back around. Dumbledore was probably very busy right now and didn't have time for Draco's nonsense. But it wasn't even nonsense! He just wanted to go talk to him—tell him that he wouldn't disappoint him and promise that he'd be really good from now on.

 _Don't make promises you can't keep,_ said a voice in his head now. Draco sighed and collapsed back on the couch. This was all getting way too complicated for his liking. Here he was, sitting alone on a Thursday night, having what could only be described as a _panic attack_ , over something silly that some professor mentioned as a 'by the way'.

"Get it together, man," he told himself out loud now, his face buried in his hands. He really did need to calm down. Claybrook hadn't told him something he didn't already know—he only reminded him of a little fact that he should've paid more attention to. That's all.

"Draco?" said a voice from the staircase.

Draco hopped off the couch and looked around. Mary was standing at the top of the stairs in a nightgown, sporting a long blonde braid at her side. Her arms were crossed as she stood there, confused.

"S-sorry," Draco said. "Did I...wake you?"

"No, not at all," she quickly said, starting to slowly make her way down the stairs. "I was just going to go to the kitchens and ask for some tea."

"T-tea?"

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep."

She was finally at his level now and moving over to where he was by the couches near the fireplace.

"What are you doing up?" she wondered. "It's rather late."

"Um," said Draco, looking around at his scattered books, "Just doing some last minute studying, I guess."

"You don't need it," Mary smiled softly. "Your performance in class this morning was very impressive."

"Yeah," said Draco, scratching his head. "Do you, uh, want me to go with you?"

"Sorry?"

"...to get the tea..."

"Oh," said Mary, letting out a small laugh. "Sure. I'd like that."

They walked in silence, Draco emitting light from the tip of his wand and making sure to keep it from pointing at any of the portraits on the walls, so as not to wake anyone. He'd had experience with that firsthand and knew how dangerous it was to point at them. They'd start yelling into the night and bringing unwanted attention to corridors where students ought not to be wandering at night.

When they finally got to the kitchens, they found the elves gathered round a circular table, looking very busy with what Draco could only assume was some intense card game. At the sight of the two students who'd wandered in, the elves instantly jumped to their feet.

"Draco Black, sir!" cried Manny, pushing through the little crowd so he could be at the front. "How nice to see you again!"

"Uh, likewise, Manny," said Draco, taking his hand and shaking it.

"What brings you to the kitchens at this time of night, sir?" Manny asked, looking enthusiastic and pleased.

"Well, my friend here was wondering if she could get some tea..." said Draco, his voice trailing off as Manny shooed his fellow elves away and was back in no time with several different kinds of tea bags in his hands.

"What kind would miss like?" he asked.

"Uh," said Mary, looking round at Draco in confusion, "Black would be fine, please."

Manny whipped up the tea as quickly as he could and handed her a steaming cup, his head bowed before her.

"Thank you, _Manny,_ " Mary said kindly, taking it from him.

"Hey," said Draco, kneeling down to level with the elf, who looked at him now. The others were back at the table, back to their card game, and oblivious to Draco's and Mary's presence in the room. Still, Draco lowered his voice. "I never did thank you for your help that day."

"Manny will always be pleased to serve you, sir," Manny promised.

Draco smiled at him. He wasn't sure why Manny was so willing to help him, but he wasn't about to complain.

He bid the elf a good night and escorted Mary out of the kitchens. Unfortunately, the trip back to the common room wasn't as silent as the trip to the kitchens had been. Mary now had many questions.

"He just helped me out once and I figured I owed him at least thanks," Draco kept saying. "Anyway, how's the tea?"

"Hot," Mary answered. "And I'm just surprised is all. I never pegged you as the type to be on a first name basis with...elves..."

"Why not?" said Draco, turning as they entered another hallway.

"I don't know," said Mary, shrugging. "There's something different about you that I can't really explain. I'm not the only one who sees it."

"Sees what though?"

"You're...I mean, yeah, you're a Gryffindor, but...sometimes you act like you're in all of the houses."

 _"I do?"_ Draco cried out, stopping to stare at her. He'd never gotten _this_ sort of comment before...in either timeline.

"Yeah," said Mary. "I suppose that's how I'd describe it."

"That's..." said Draco, unsure of what to make of this.

"Come on," Mary laughed, leading the way once again.

They reached the common room undetected by teachers along the way (from some strange miracle) and Draco made for the couches again when he saw Mary heading up the stairs.

"You're not staying?" he asked.

She turned to look at him. "No, I think I'll take my tea up to bed. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

Draco only nodded.

"Thanks for escorting me," she said.

"Yeah," Draco said, slipping his hands in his pockets.

Mary hesitated on the stairs, looking down at her teacup and then again at Draco. "And...I'd be happy to escort you...to Slughorn's Christmas party."

Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise, having forgotten about that completely.

"Okay," he said, not knowing what else to say.

"Okay," said Mary, smiling sweetly at him. "Good night then."

"Good night."

* * *

The Potions midterm had to be the easiest thing Draco had ever gone through. It was definitely a nice start to the day and by the end of it, Draco was positive that there was no way he'd gotten any less than perfect. The rest of the Marauders seemed rather pleased with it too. On the way out of the Potions dungeon however, Sirius accidentally bumped Severus. No one fell or dropped anything, but there it was, the two of them standing before each other, not knowing what to do.

"S-sorry," Sirius said, glancing at Draco beside him.

Severus said nothing but walked out.

"Freak," James hissed, following Sirius out too.

Remus gave Draco a questioning look but he only shrugged. He doubted this war between them would ever truly end. He could hardly ever see himself becoming best friends with Harry Potter and the Weasleys, so he totally understood it.

That day's Defense against the Dark Arts lesson was just as interesting as the previous day's, except this time, Emily Brown was smart enough to keep her mouth shut for the entire duration. But everyone else was now paying closer attention to details, just as Draco had demonstrated yesterday. At one point, Claybrook caught Draco's eye and gave him an "I told you so" smile. Draco smiled back. It was true. Everyone in the class actually was looking up to him. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before.

After the lesson, James and Sirius disappeared somewhere and Draco went to the Great Hall with Remus and Peter for lunch. Once there, Remus let Peter recite entire passages to him in preparation for his Care of Magical Creatures exam next period. Meanwhile, Draco ate in silence and skimmed through the usual stories in the Daily Prophet—more raids, some more disappearances and a minister's message declaring that all would be well and safe soon enough. What bullshit.

When Peter was finally done reciting, he excused himself to go to the bathroom, but Draco and Remus both knew he was having a panic attack and needed to be by himself to get through it, so they didn't question him.

"You're gonna have that tutoring session next?" Remus asked Draco instead.

"What? Oh, yeah. That's today."

"Hope it goes well."

"Thanks."

Draco continued to read through the Daily Prophet, occasionally flipping a page and staying immune to the noise of the Great Hall.

"Draco," said Remus.

"Mm?" said Draco without looking up.

"Are you sure that this animagus thing is what you want?"

This prompted Draco to look away from the Prophet at once. He stared at his friend, wondering where this was coming from. It wasn't exactly out of the blue—ever since he'd begun this process, Remus had been the least enthusiastic out of all the boys. But still, it was quite random to bring it up now.

"I mean, you're not just doing this to impress James and Sirius, are you?" he went on now.

"No, of course not," said Draco at once. "What would make you think that?"

"It was just a theory," Remus shrugged. "Listen, I want you to reconsider this—no really, _listen._ It's...it's not a joke, okay? You could get into some serious trouble for even pursuing this. It is a serious crime to be an unregistered animagus and...you being connected to Dumbledore..." he lowered his voice to that of a whisper now. "I mean, if this ever got out, it...it could ruin you both...and I couldn't live with myself if that happened because you're only doing this for me even though I've practically _begged_ you to stop already and—"

"Remus, stop," said Draco now. "This has nothing to do with you, okay? _I_ want this."

"But—"

"I don't care about the consequences. I think I'm adult enough to make this decision for myself. As for Dumbledore, you needn't worry. He won't find out."

"Yeah but if someone else does and they leak this story—"

"We'll deal with that when and _if_ we get there, but for now, it's pointless even worrying about it because it's not a problem for us right now."

Remus sighed.

"I want this," Draco repeated, hoping he'd hear him this time. "I do. I've always wanted to become an animagus and I can't wait for the process to be finally complete."

"It is nearly complete, isn't it?" said Remus.

Draco nodded, a smile on his face. He could hardly wait. But Remus's face was serious again.

"What?" said Draco.

Remus glanced around before adding, very quietly, "Are you sure there's no way I can change your mind?"

Draco smiled and shook his head confidently. "Absolutely not."

Remus sighed again. "You're ignoring me..." Draco looked up at him. "That's _very_ marauder of you."

When lunch was over, James and Sirius finally came back, looking mighty pleased with themselves. They explained that they'd gone off to get some 'brain enhancements' from some older kids to help them get through this Care of Magical Creatures exam they had to take. James went into another rant about how Hagrid was long overdue as teacher for that class but how it was no use because Dumbledore wasn't listening. Peter came back from his panic attack too, looking slightly relieved but also very nervous. The three departed for their exam while Remus wished Draco good luck and headed off to write his Arithmancy midterm. Draco remained in the Great Hall until it was nearly completely deserted. It had already been ten minutes since the bell had rung. Finally deciding that he couldn't delay it any further, Draco stood up and left the Great Hall.

By the time he reached the fourth floor, he knew that he would rather just get this over with already and never look back on it. Tonight's lesson with Dumbledore was all he looked forward to, so he tried to focus only on that and nothing else.

But when he pushed open the classroom door and let himself in, he found out just how conniving karma could be.

"Draco?" said Regulus, who was standing near the window at the back of the class.

Draco stood at the door, not sure what was going on here.

"Um," he said, looking around the class for the student he was supposed to tutor, before it hit him. He looked at Regulus. "You're the fifth year who's struggling in Defense against the Dark Arts."

"And you're the sixth year sent here to tutor me," said Regulus, crossing his arms. "Fantastic."

"Look," said Draco, closing the door behind him and taking a step forward, "I had no idea it was you when Claybrook told me yesterday, okay? No seriously, I didn't know! I...I think now that he set this up on purpose maybe..."

"What, to just screw with us?" said Regulus.

Draco shrugged. "But you're a prefect...how can it be allowed for you to fall behind?"

"I'm _not_ falling behind, okay?" snapped Regulus. "I'm just...I just need help catching up is all."

"But why?"

"You know what, it doesn't even matter because I'm not gonna go through with this lesson now," said Regulus, suddenly grabbing his books and shoving them into his bag.

"Regulus wait," said Draco, blocking his way to the door. "Please talk to me."

"Why should I?" said Regulus. "You've clearly shown me that that's the last thing you would rather do."

"That's not true," said Draco. "Severus told me that—"

"Never mind what Severus said, Draco, he's just a nosey git!"

"Regulus, stop," said Draco. "He's your best friend, you don't mean that."

"Yeah, I do," said the boy, turning away from Draco and looking out the window again.

Draco stood frozen to the ground, unable to process things. How _could_ he have let things get so _screwed up?_

"Regulus, talk to me," Draco tried again. "What's been going on with you lately?"

"Oh you mean in the past two months that you've been ignoring me?" said Regulus, turning round to look at Draco with fury on his face. "Not much, just the usual."

"Come on, that's not fair," said Draco. "You were the one who said we shouldn't talk anymore. I just figured I'd give you your space. You clearly wanted it."

"You don't even know what _you_ want, Draco," spat Regulus.

Draco took a moment to breathe and keep his voice leveled when he spoke. "You're right. I don't." He looked Regulus in the eye, trying to form some sort of connection here with his younger cousin. "But I do know that I would like it if you would talk to me now."

"It's not gonna change anything," Regulus said, turning away from him.

"Well why the hell not?"

"BECAUSE YOU DON'T CARE!"

Draco froze again, staring at Regulus with pain swelling up in his stomach now. The boy was shaking from head to toe, not because he was afraid, but because he was _angry._ Angry that Draco had abandoned him.

"YOU HAVE MADE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR WHO YOUR FAVOURITE BLACK COUSIN IS," Regulus was now yelling. "YOU AND THE REST OF THE BLOODY WORLD HAS."

"What are you talking about? You know that's not—"

"—true?" Regulus let out a cold laugh and approached Draco. "You've never been to my house, Draco. You don't know _shit_ about what's really going on."

"Sirius has told me that you're the favourite at home," Draco defended, weakly.

"Guess again," said Regulus. "No matter what the bloody hell I try to do, Sirius is all our parents can talk about. How he's disappointed them. How he's a disgrace to the Black family name. Sirius this, Sirius that, Sirius, Sirius, SIRIUS!"

 _"Okay,"_ said Draco, attempting to wrap his head around the words but feeling pained just hearing them. "Okay you're right. But what does this have to do with—?"

"—you?" cried Regulus. "Everything. You've _abandoned_ me, Draco. For the last two months, you've shown me exactly where your loyalties lie. You and Sirius are best pals now, tra-la-la-ing about the castle with the rest of his pathetic little friends, caring about stupid things like bloody Quidditch and your little mudblood girlfriends—"

"Regulus, stop—"

"—and you're all safe with Dumbledore's protection, day and night, while the rest of us fear for our lives and can't even go to sleep normally at night—"

"WHY? Regulus, what's stopping you sleeping?" Draco said, now both his hands on Regulus's shoulders. Regulus shrugged him off.

"It doesn't matter," he spat. "You don't care so I don't have to tell you."

"Will you bloody listen to me already?" Draco hissed at him, grabbing him again so that he wouldn't turn away from him. But Regulus was too quick for him. He ducked, threw off one of the nearby chairs and drew his wand, now standing with it pointed at Draco. Draco slowly raised both his hands in surrender and waited as Regulus watched him, wand slightly shaking in his outstretched hand.

"You're right," Draco was saying now, "Okay? You're absolutely right. I've made a series of poor choices in the last few months. I've been way too focused on the wrong people and for that, I am sorry." Regulus tightened his hold on his wand and glared at Draco. "But you know I can't help you now if you don't let me in." Regulus continued to stare at him, looking a mixture of frightened and angry (and maybe even a little bit guilty).

"Please," Draco said, quieter now. "Please just...talk to me."

And then, to Draco's great surprise and relief, Regulus lowered his arm and took a deep breath. Draco stepped forward.

"Talk to me," he said, his voice just shy of a whisper, never taking his eyes off the kid standing before him.

"I couldn't stand it that you agreed to never speak to me so easily," Regulus whispered. "I was mad that day, Draco. I was mad because you took matters into your own hands even though I _told_ you to drop it. You still went behind my back and took care of things your way. So yeah, I might've told you to back off but I didn't bloody mean it!"

Draco let out a soft laugh now. "I'm not a mind reader, Regulus. How was I supposed to know that?"

"You weren't," said Regulus now. "But you weren't supposed to become best friends with Sirius. You're...you're not supposed to be _that_ Black."

"What Black?" said Draco, confused.

"The rebel Black," said Regulus, quieter now.

Draco sighed deeply. He really had messed up the kid.

"I'm not going to rebel against anyone," he now promised, knowing perfectly well that his next few words were crucial to getting Regulus back on track—back to the way things were before. If he messed up in any way now, any chance of that would be gone in an instant. "I'm _not_ your enemy, Regulus."

"You sure have been acting like one," Regulus declared.

Draco nodded his head once. "I deserve that." He placed both hands on Regulus's shoulders again. "I did what I did to protect you from a scumbag who is now exactly where he belongs... _in a psych ward._ But I'm not perfect, Regulus. I neglected you and...I abandoned you, and I am truly sorry for that. I will spend the rest of my time trying to make this up to you and be the cousin and the friend that you deserve." He paused now. "It doesn't have to be me and Sirius against you, you know. It could be all three of us against your parents...against Wilkes...against the Death Eaters."

Regulus's eyes went round. "What do the Death Eaters have to do with this?"

"I'm no idiot, Reg," said Draco now, "I know exactly what goes on in the Slytherin common room most nights...and if not yet, then it will soon. I know exactly what most of your housemates are aspiring to become." He looked at Regulus again. "I know what Wilkes was trying to make of you." Regulus looked away. "HEY," said Draco, forcing him to look back at him now. "I am _not_ going to let that happen to you."

"You're not gonna be here when it happens," Regulus whispered.

"You can bet your fifth year arse I will," Draco promised, trying hard to ignore Regulus's use of the word 'when' rather than 'if'. "If you flunk a class, I will be there to smart talk the teacher into giving you a passing grade. If you're fired from a job, I will bribe the board to have you replace your boss. If you're broke, I'll rob a bank with you and if you kill someone..." Regulus stared at Draco now with fear in his eyes, "I will bury the body and give you an alibi," Draco promised. "I'm not gonna leave you, kid. From here on out, no matter what happens—Hey look at me— _no matter what happens_ , you're stuck with me. Understand?"

Throat too tight to speak, Regulus nodded.

They spent all of Draco's free period in that classroom talking, but not once did they talk about anything dark arts related. Instead, they caught up on everything that they had missed in the last two months. Draco congratulated Regulus on all those marvelous moves that he'd showcased during the match and Regulus admitted that he'd taught them to the team because he'd been angry with Draco. But Draco didn't hold it against him. The way he saw it, he owed the kid. Big time. And he was going to have to work at it really hard from now on to regain Regulus's trust.

But Regulus seemed to really enjoy talking to him now. They even briefly mentioned the Slug Christmas party which was tomorrow night. Regulus revealed that he was going stag because there wasn't anyone besides Claire whom he was interested in taking, and she was a member too.

When the bell rang and Regulus hurried off to his next class and told Draco he'd see him at the party tomorrow, Draco came to an important conclusion—Ajax Claybrook was the wisest teacher he had ever had at Hogwarts, aside from Snape.

Because Draco's conversation with Regulus was still playing over in his head, he did rather poorly on his Muggle Studies midterm. Even though it had to have been the easiest subject in bloody wizarding history, Draco couldn't concentrate one bit. He kept thinking back to when Regulus had pulled out his wand and how frightened he'd looked when he'd pointed it at him. He kept thinking back to all the promises he'd made and how even he, Draco, had no idea whether he'd be able to keep them. But he knew he would sure as hell die trying.

After class, Draco escorted a sick looking James to the nearest washroom where he threw up the contents of that brain enhancement he and Sirius had bought earlier.

"Never again," James kept moaning over the toilet as Draco stood near him, waiting.

When he brought James back to the common room and helped his friend up to his bed, he found Remus and Peter doing the same with Sirius.

"Well isn't this a funny turn of events," Remus was now saying. "Usually it's you guys putting me to bed and not the other way around."

Sirius gave him the finger and turned his back on him. Remus let out a laugh.

"Serves you right," he declared. "Maybe next time you guys will try actually studying rather than trying to cheat through the system."

"Do we even know what was in that stuff they bought?" Peter asked.

"Could be anything," Remus said. "Their suppliers were seventh year gits, not professional chemists."

Draco smiled weakly, his mind still elsewhere.

He spent the afternoon hanging out with Remus and Peter in the common room and really just enjoying the fact that midterms were over and he could finally have a break from school. And at eight, he bid farewell to the two boys and headed off to Dumbledore's office to have the lesson he'd been looking forward to all week. But when he got there, he realized that Dumbledore was yet to arrive as well. Sighing deeply, Draco made himself comfortable in his office as he waited for Dumbledore to show.

Phineas Nigellus's portrait watched him fervently.

"What?" Draco asked it.

"It is just curious to watch a young boy have something on his mind, Mr. Malfoy," said Phineas Nigellus cleverly.

Draco looked away from him, muttering, "It's not that curious."

"Dumbledore sure seems to think so," Phineas Nigellus argued.

Draco glanced up at him again. "Has Dumbledore said something to you?"

"Quite a bit, yes," said the portrait.

Draco waited. "Well what did he say?"

"Oh no," said Phineas, quickly. "No, I am inclined to reserve all retellings of my conversations with Dumbledore."

"Git," Draco wanted to say, but stopped himself at the last minute. He never did like Phineas Nigellus.

Growing slightly impatient, he stood up from his chair and walked over to the window to look out at the Quidditch pitch in the distance. It was a very bright night indeed, with soft snow falling from the sky in a quiet and peaceful manner. And it made Draco think things. It made him realize that he in fact had so far survived four whole months in this twisted timeline and he hadn't managed to kill anyone yet. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

"What are you thinking, boy?" Phineas Nigellus tried again.

Draco did not turn to look at him but continued to stare out the window, waiting. Waiting for Dumbledore to arrive, waiting for shit to really hit the fan...just waiting for _something_ to happen.

"I'm thinking," he began, talking mostly to himself, "I'm thinking that Regulus Black is in danger of losing himself completely." He turned to look at the portrait finally, where Phineas's eyes were round and confused. "A-and _I've_ sent him to this danger myself."

* * *

 **Wondering what Dumbledore shall say about this...**

 **Also wondering which reader can correctly guess where Draco will end up this holiday season. . .**

 **Find out next chapter!**


	27. Understanding

**AN : ****As we've stated in the very first chapter of this story, it will be a VERY lengthy one. And by very, we mean that so far we've only gotten through maybe 6% of our plot. As mentioned before repeatedly, everything that is happening now is a buildup for what is to happen later.**

 **And also keep in mind that Severus and Regulus are both on the path that Draco found himself on the first time he did sixth year. It angers him how carelessly they're throwing themselves there and so if he lashes out, it is because he's afraid for them and feels powerless to stop it. In addition, Dumbledore has placed an immense amount of pressure on him, more of which you shall learn about in coming chapters.**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 27: UNDERSTANDING

"Professor," said Draco as Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace and dusted himself off.

"Good evening, Draco," he said without looking at him once. He pulled his ugly baby bird out from his pocket and laid it gently in its cage, petting it several times and 'shh'-ing it to sleep. Then, he finally took his seat and sighed deeply. "My apologies for being late tonight. I, uh, was, shall we say, detained."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that the Minister of Magic is not currently happy with me," said Dumbledore, matter-of-factly. He then smiled and shrugged. "So basically, what else is new?"

Draco let out a soft chuckle. He then looked down at his lap before glancing up at the professor again. "The Slug Christmas party is tomorrow night."

"So I heard," said Dumbledore, still smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," Draco shrugged. "Honestly, I wish I didn't have to go to the thing."

"But you still will?" said Dumbledore, cautiously.

Draco was glad he didn't roll his eyes at that moment—he'd come dangerously close to it too.

"I'll be there," he instead promised. When Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at him, he added, "I've even invited Mary Mcdonald to come with me."

"Oh?" said Dumbledore, suddenly sitting up. "And will this be a romantic accompaniment?"

 _"No,"_ said Draco, boldly.

Dumbledore laughed. "Well, forgive me for being curious."

"Anyway," said Draco, desperate to change the topic. The last thing he wanted was to discuss girls with _Dumbledore._ "I, uh, hate to ask but...well I don't exactly...have anything to, uh, you know, to wear tomorrow night..."

"No worries, it's all taken care of," Dumbledore assured him.

Draco sighed. "Thank you."

"Mhm," said Dumbledore, nodding once. "After all, what am I here for?"

Draco thought a minute. "I got your message loud and clear from Claybrook by the way—"

 _"Professor_ Claybrook, Draco."

"—and you were right. It worked. Regulus and I are talking again."

Dumbledore paused. "And about time you did too."

Draco thought a minute before adding, very quietly, "You were right in intervening. Without your help, I wouldn't have talked to the kid and we'd still be in this stupid fight."

"Like I said," said Dumbledore, sitting back again, "What am I here for?"

Draco looked away from him. He thought this was all some sort of joke but he didn't realize just how much Draco had on his plate and how much he worried every single fucking day.

"What did the minister want?" he found himself asking instead, ignoring Phineas Nigellus, who was behind Dumbledore and watching him intently.

"To remind me that he is calling the shots," Dumbledore answered with a sigh.

Draco frowned at Dumbledore. "What's that mean?"

"It means that I may have suggested several strategies for the ministry in dealing with the growing number of Death Eaters, and I was thoroughly ignored by the board of directors, by the executives, their assistants and secretaries, and most importantly, by the minister himself." Dumbledore looked at Draco now. "But I do not worry. Things will settle themselves with time."

"You sound sure," Draco muttered.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to reveal some future knowledge with me, Draco?"

"No," said Draco, quickly. "I don't know any of the details of this war, I already told you." Dumbledore nodded once. "All I know is when it ended...ends... _will_ end, dammit." _Fuck._ "Uh, sorry, professor."

"I'm a headmaster," said Dumbledore. "I'm used to it. Please, have some tea."

"But there isn't any..."

Dumbledore waved his wand and at once, a tea kettle appeared with two cups and several sugar cubes in a little jar. The kettle poured tea into each of the cups and the sugar cubes piled themselves in one at a time. Draco accepted the cup with a nod and took deep breaths as he sipped.

"That was some interesting match the other day," Dumbledore casually observed. Draco's heart nearly stopped at the sound of these words. He looked up at the professor and slowly lowered his slightly shaking cup until it was safely on the table's surface.

"Y-yeah," he managed, his throat feeling tight.

"I of course wasn't able to watch it..." Draco breathed. "I had some other matters to attend to, but my friend Professor Claybrook did a thorough job in recounting the details of the match to me at afternoon tea the next day."

"That's excellent," Draco said. "And what, did he tell you that he also thinks it was all my fault?" Dumbledore looked at Draco. "Sir?"

"Actually, he did tell me that he spotted you teaching Severus Snape out on the Quidditch field several nights in a row," Dumbledore explained. Draco cursed silently. "He was also sure to mention how loyal he thought it was that you, a Gryffindor, resorted to teaching your Slytherin friends so that they'd have some chance against your team."

"Yeah well..." Draco mumbled, "I doubt James and the others would agree with you and Claybrook."

Dumbledore gave him an encouraging smile. "Have some faith in people, Draco." He looked up at him. "They may surprise you." _Doubtful_. "Drink your tea."

Draco drank.

"How are you getting along with your friends?"

Draco nearly choked on his tea. "Which friends do you mean?"

"The friends whom you spend every day with, of course," said Dumbledore.

Draco shrugged, setting his tea down once again. "I dunno, things are good I guess."

"Just good?"

"I dunno...they're very good?"

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at Draco again, as though inspecting him for some lies he was sure to find. "And do I even want to ask why you smell like you've been breathing incense?"

Draco's heart surely stopped that time. "Um..."

"Save it," said Dumbledore quickly. "Please, I think I'd rather not know."

"I think you're right," Draco breathed, swallowing hard.

"Very well then," said Dumbledore. "Let's move on." He sat up and placed both hands on the table. "I won't ask how classes are going because I'm already up to speed with your marks."

 _Of course you are,_ Draco wanted to say but decided not to.

"Congratulations by the way," Dumbledore added briefly, giving Draco a look, "I'm very proud of how you've been keeping up with your schoolwork."

"It's not that difficult when you've done it before," Draco muttered.

Dumbledore ignored this. "So instead, I will ask how your reunion with young Regulus went."

Of course he had to go there. _Dive right into the heart of things, why don't you?_

"He's not that young," Draco said now.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Everyone thinks that Regulus is just a kid but I know him and he's not a kid anymore," Draco looked up at Dumbledore seriously now. "He's well on his way to becoming a man...a-and a dangerous one at that."

"I see," said Dumbledore, thinking hard.

"I see?" Draco repeated. _"I see?! That's all you've got to say about that?"_

"Draco—"

"No professor, this is a serious matter!" Draco cried out. "I've already told you that he goes on to become the youngest Death Eater ever! There isn't much time left, we've got to do something to stop him from heading down that path! It's...it's not a great path..."

"I beg to differ!" cried Phineas Nigellus. "It is the path that we Blacks have been on for generations before and generations to come! I will not tolerate any more _outsiders_ like my disgraceful great great grandson Sirius."

"Oh I know it is not a great path," Dumbledore answered Draco, thoroughly ignoring Phineas Nigellus, "But I'm afraid I cannot see what I can do about it." He sat up again. "You, on the other hand..."

"What?" said Draco. "What could _I_ possibly do about it?"

"Influence him."

The words made sense, yes, and yet still, Draco hated hearing them. He looked up at the old man across from him with hatred. How dare he put all of this on Draco's shoulders? Didn't he even care?

"You do not see what kind of influence you have on the people around you," Dumbledore was now saying, "But Ajax and I both see it. And now if only you would see it too, it would save everyone a great deal of time, I'll tell you that."

Draco sighed. Why couldn't everyone just quit telling him that, just for once?

"You have come a long way since I first met you, Draco," Dumbledore began. "Well, to my knowledge, at least. But you have. That first day, you were a nervous wreck."

"I'm still a nervous wreck, professor."

"Hah, yes indeed, but you are more collected and confident now than you've ever been before. Again, to my knowledge..."

"That's not funny, professor."

"Well, I actually thought it was quite clever, but you're of course entitled to your own opinion."

Draco looked up to find the professor smiling at him. "This isn't some kind of joke, all of this."

"I never said it was," said Dumbledore. "But I meant what I said—you've come a long way. And you have so much potential, such that you probably never imagined."

"Potential for what?"

"To be a leader," said Dumbledore. "A mentor. A friend. To be _yourself."_

Draco looked away from him. He hated hearing these things being said to him because he didn't think he deserved to hear them...not after how he'd treated Regulus. He was right. Draco _had_ abandoned him. Completely.

"You are not perfect, of course," Dumbledore said now, as though reading his mind. "No one is, Draco. From my observations, you are arrogant and bold and have serious aggression issues that probably stem from your childhood experiences. Not to mention, you are highly unprofessional."

Draco sighed again and folded his arms in front of him.

"But you are strong," Dumbledore concluded. Draco looked up at him. "And that's saying something."

"So...are we gonna do a lesson tonight then?" Draco asked in a slightly weakened voice now.

"Absolutely," Dumbledore promised, leaning forward, "But not just yet. There are a few more things I'd like to discuss before we get to it."

Draco raised his eyebrows, waiting.

"As I understand it, your new friends will be shopping for holiday gifts tomorrow."

Draco frowned. He had not expected _this._

"Yeah...?" he said, waiting.

"Well I imagine you will want to return the favour," said Dumbledore. "You know, so as to keep up with your cover story of course. After all, what other reason would you have?"

"None at all," Draco mumbled.

Dumbledore winked at him before pulling out a small leather pouch and dropping it on the table in front of Draco.

"That is five hundred galleons."

Draco looked up at him incredulously.

"It should be enough to cover everyone you care about, I suspect," Dumbledore concluded.

"Professor, I can't—"

"I'm also curious as to what is your impression of Professor Claybrook," Dumbledore interrupted.

"I..."

"What do you think of him, Draco?"

Draco thought for a minute.

"He reminds me a lot of the older version of Sev," he finally mumbled.

Dumbledore frowned at this. "That is very interesting indeed. And you've told me before that you connected more with Severus as a professor than any other professors, is that correct?"

Draco nodded.

"Would you say you are close to having the same impression of Ajax?"

Draco shrugged. "Not quite. Not yet, anyway."

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "Very well then...I suppose a little more quality time outside the classroom should do the trick, don't you?"

"I...yeah, I guess, but I mean..."

"Not to worry, Draco, I'll take care of that."

"What do you—"

"Moving on," Dumbledore stood up, "Let us get straight to it then." He moved around the desk and waved his wand to make the tea, the kettle and the empty sugar jar disappear. "Wands out, Draco."

It was the strangest lesson they'd had yet. Draco was just as surprised (perhaps even more so) as Dumbledore at his amount of concentration and effort. His wand wasn't shaking at all in his hand tonight and his mind was totally and completely focused. It wasn't wandering at all and his vision wasn't getting blurred like all the other times he'd uttered that incantation. He didn't even fall over once. In fact, after the seventh try, he managed to get so far into Dumbledore's mind so as to see an entire ten seconds of what was a memory of a child version of Dumbledore at his own Sorting Ceremony. At the end of it, Draco breathed very quickly and loudly until Dumbledore settled him into a seat and explained that he had just successfully performed legilimancy.

"Of course, it needs its work," Dumbledore continued. "You were only able to get far into my head to see a memory that I brought to the surface."

"You mean you were thinking of that memory on purpose?"

"Correct," Dumbledore nodded. "And with practice, you'll be able to get further than that and really explore my mind...seek out those memories that I wouldn't want others seeing."

"But professor—"

"You shall need this skill when the time is right, Draco," Dumbledore repeated for probably the thousandth time. "Trust me."

And when Draco looked up into those silvery blue eyes, he couldn't stop himself nodding. It was really hard to say no to eyes like that. They were so full of hope and encouragement...love and friendship… Draco found himself wondering whether they'd always been like that. He'd certainly never spent this much time with Dumbledore in his own timeline to get to know him to this extent. But nowadays, Dumbledore was the first thing that came to mind whenever Draco was afraid or sensed danger. And never, in a million years, would he ever have dreamed that that would be the case.

If only his parents saw him now...

"Excellent work tonight," Dumbledore said as he escorted Draco to the door at the end of the lesson. "I was very proud of your achievements and look forward to seeing more in future lessons."

Draco nodded as he walked.

"We won't be practicing over the holidays, I think a little break is in order," Dumbledore continued. "And besides, I don't suppose I'll be around the castle very much. I have plenty of affairs to set in order."

"Like what?" Draco said, turning to him, but Dumbledore waved his hand dismissively and turned the doorknob, letting the door open just a crack.

"Try to get some sleep, Draco," he said now. "And don't skip out on this party tomorrow. You'll be happy you came, trust me."

"Yeah," Draco sighed, leaving the office. "Goodnight, professor."

On his way back to Gryffindor Tower, he let his mind go to that place he always refused to go to...that place where he actually felt proud of how far he'd come and how much he'd learned in such a short span of time. Dumbledore was right. He was headed for great things, much bigger than what he'd so far seen and done. Everything was still ahead and he was so ready for this. The only question was, when the time came, would it all be enough?

* * *

Draco narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the wrinkled letter in his hand, not sure what to make of it. This had to have been the last thing he'd expected and he had no idea what his next move was going to be. Was there even a right move in this situation?

"Oy!" James cried, hitting Draco with his shirt. Draco turned around on his bed and James raised his hands in question. "You coming, mate?"

Draco crumpled up the letter again and dug it into his pocket before jumping to his feet and turning to face his friends.

"Yeah," he said, joining them at the door. "Yeah, let's go."

Remus was the last to be ready because Sirius had hogged the bathroom and then Peter had needed to use it, so they waited an extra ten minutes. Finally, when all boys were dressed and ready, they went down the stairs and made their way across the common room to the portrait hole.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Draco asked James as they went down the hall and made their way out of Gryffindor Tower step by step.

"Definitely," James repeated for the thousandth time that morning. "It's time."

Draco didn't say anything else the rest of the way there, but he still had his doubts whether they should do this. For him, it felt like it was all too soon. Then again, he'd already proven to have poor judgement, what with Regulus and everything that happened, so he wasn't sure he trusted himself anymore with making decisions in regards to 'perfect timing'. In the end, he decided to just go with it. What was the worst thing that could happen, really? Someone would see them there? Big deal.

But it was only after he heard Frank yell "Wow, you guys sure are late!" that he realized they'd finally arrived.

"Hey man," said James, high-fiving Frank and a couple of his buddies, all of whom were seated comfortably at the bottom of the stairs in the Entrance Hall. There had to be eight, maybe nine of them there already.

"Hey guys," Sirius said to them, also greeting each of the boys with separate handshakes which Draco suspected they came up with ages ago.

Remus and Peter obviously weren't as acquainted with Frank's friends as James and Sirius were because they didn't have their own handshakes, so they simply nodded and smiled and occasionally said "yeah" or "totally". Draco went along with it as well. He too, had only really talked to Frank out of the group.

"Hey how you doin', man?" one of his friends asked him after he sat down.

Draco eyed the boy before responding with "What's up". It felt weird, being back here in the Entrance Hall. All 'hangouts' had ceased ever since the ever so tragic Wilkes incident. But this morning, Frank and his friends decided to pretend like nothing had ever happened and drag the marauders out there with them. So Draco went along with it, just like he went along with most things these days.

Feeling awkward, now that all the boys were mid conversation, Draco resorted to drinking the orange juice that he'd brought with him and simply nodding along every once in a while. So far, this had to reach the top of his awkward moments. He felt so out of place suddenly. He knew the marauders only wanted to make him comfortable with their other friends so that he'd know them as well as they did. But sitting there now, Draco didn't see it. Maybe he was just having a bad morning...reading a letter like that definitely didn't make for a pleasant mood, that was for sure.

"So check it out, man," Sirius was now saying to this other boy with hair that seemed to be pointing in all directions, almost like a punk. "I've been sketching all kinds of designs lately but I can't decide which one looks the sickest—and I mean, I don't care what the other ones will end up being, but the first one's got to be insane, you know?"

"Oh totally, man," the boy responded, taking Sirius's notebook and skimming through it. "Here, let's see what you've got—oh that's actually not bad. Hmm, this one's a little girly."

"What—how?" cried Sirius.

The boy looked up at him incredulously. "It's a _dragon."_

"Yeah," said Sirius, not understanding. "It's a _Hungarian Horntail_ —whoa!"

Draco had spit his orange juice out and James was now slapping him on the back to stop him choking.

"I'm good, I'm good," he repeated, clearing his throat. Sirius pulled out his wand, dried off, and then turned back to the boy.

"They're thought to be like the sickest of their kind."

"Yeah, but a dragon is still a dragon," the boy told him. "You can't go getting a tattoo of a dragon, man. It's...just don't do that to yourself."

Sirius shrugged and flipped a page in his notebook, pausing. "What about that one?"

The boy sighed and looked down at the notebook. His expression changed and he tilted his head slightly, so as to get a better look at the sketch.

"Not bad, Black," he said, finally grinning at Sirius.

Sirius grinned back.

"Hey Draco," James said, suddenly snapping his fingers in Draco's face to get his attention. Draco turned to him. "What was the name of that Quidditch camp thing Dumbledore took you to once?"

"Why?" Draco blurted out.

"Relax man, I'm just telling Kevin here that I think the Slytherins got help from one of those counselors."

"When...?"

"See, at first we thought they'd gotten help from like a professional player on a professional team, but then Kevin here pointed out that the Slytherins wouldn't ever be able to pull off something like that and it's not like a professional team would even talk to them."

Draco's eyes fell on Kevin, who was sitting back with his head resting against the stair railing, his eyes looking cool and relaxed and his arms resting on his raised knees.

"Right," Draco said, smiling weakly at Kevin. "Um, it was the, uh..." James raised his eyebrows at him, still grinning. "The Blue Hawks."

Everyone on the stairs fell silent. All eyes were on Draco. He swallowed.

"The...Blue Hawks..." James repeated.

"In the Netherlands, right?" said another boy, suddenly sitting up. Draco narrowed his eyes at him. Joan something...

"Yeah," he said. "Netherlands."

"When did he send you there?" that other guy called Charles asked, looking mighty curious.

"Um, I dunno it was years ago," Draco mumbled, wanting them to talk about something else already.

"Okay so they probably didn't get help from there," James admitted, shrugging. "But it doesn't mean they didn't get help from some other Quidditch camp...like in _this_ country..."

"Hey guys," Frank said, also suddenly sitting up, "We need to have a big blow out before everyone leaves next week."

"Yeah!" all the boys started to agree, giving each other high fives and laughing at each other's suggestions.

"Yeah and we're all going to Hogsmeade tomorrow anyway so we can get the stuff there," Frank concluded. He patted James once on the back. "It's gonna be one hell of a night."

When the boys finally got hungry, they walked into the Great Hall and filled up the best spots at the Gryffindor table. The marauders ended up sitting with the seventh year crowd for the morning, which was a refreshing change but Draco didn't really care as much as James and Sirius seemed to. For them, it was apparently a really big deal to be with the older kids. And now that Draco thought about it, he supposed that he would have cared too, were he back in his own timeline. But the thought of going back, vanishing cabinet and all, made him on edge again, so that when Remus touched his shoulder to get his attention, he nearly fell from his seat.

"Whoa, are...are you okay?" Remus asked, worried.

"Fine, fine," Draco said, quickly, straightening himself up. Luckily, no one had noticed. But when Remus didn't stop looking at him all funny, he added (unconvincingly too), "I didn't really sleep that well last night after my lesson with Dumbledore."

"How'd it go by the way?" Remus asked, taking a bite of toast.

"Good," Draco answered, nodding his head.

For once, that was the actual truth. He, Draco, was well on his way to becoming a master legilimens. Who would've thought?

"So are you gonna be joining us in Hogsmeade today?" Remus asked.

"No, I have that tutoring thing," Draco said. Remus nodded and went back to reading the Morning Prophet.

Draco sighed. Somehow, he'd neglected to mention to any of the boys that it was Regulus whom he was tutoring.

"Tutoring?" said Frank, who'd overheard. "Damn Draco, we don't need another Remus here."

Sirius let out a loud laugh mixed with a snort. Draco smiled vaguely.

"Actually, I'm doing it because Claybrook told me to."

Silence.

"Claybrook, _Professor_ Claybrook?" said Frank, lowering his juice cup.

"That's the one," Draco said.

The boys exchanged looks.

"You...don't think there's something off about him?" said Kevin.

"Nope," said Draco, simply, knowing perfectly well that he was on the verge of shocking the boys, if not already there. "He's actually my favourite professor here by far."

Charles dropped his fork onto his plate with a light clang.

"R-really?" said the boy with the spiked hair. "Him?"

"Yeah," said Draco, looking around. Why was it so hard for them to understand? "Come on, aren't you guys like super impressed by all the stuff that he knows?"

"He's _dark,"_ Remus blurted out. Draco glanced at him.

"Aren't we all?" he said. When Remus gaped at him, he added quietly, "In one way or another at least..."

"That's actually very insightful," said Lily, suddenly turning in her seat to look at them. Draco groaned silently. She always had to be everywhere, didn't she?

"What are you talking about?" Remus asked her.

"I think we all have good and bad inside of us," she explained, her eyes on Draco. "I think you're right."

"Hey that's not fair, you're just saying that because you think Claybrook is fine," James said to her. "You don't fool me, Evans."

Lily scowled at him.

"Yeah, a girl's opinion on this matter is about as relevant as…" Sirius's voice trailed off because Lily was giving _him_ a dark look now. He shrugged and looked away. Lily turned to Frank, who was still looking speechless over what Draco had said.

"Alice is really looking forward to tonight by the way," she informed him politely.

"Great," he managed to say after a moment's silence.

The rest of the boys slowly resumed their activities and their conversations while Lily turned back to her girlfriends like nothing had happened. Draco sat there for a few more moments, nodding and smiling every little while, until he decided that he couldn't sit there anymore. He excused himself from the gang after he'd finished eating and was glad to be on his way to the fourth floor where he could finally relax his face a little bit. Damn, he hadn't felt that under pressure since...probably his first night in this twisted timeline. He'd honestly thought that he'd already gotten the hang of everything, but here life was, once again, surprising him in uninviting ways.

"Hey," Regulus said once Draco finally arrived at the classroom.

"Hey," Draco said, closing the door behind him.

Regulus was sitting at a desk with his Defense against the Dark Arts books closed in front of him and a quill twisting slowly in between his fingers. Draco walked towards him slowly, his eyes on Regulus's book, before he finally stopped in front of him and looked at him.

"You don't _really_ want to study, do you?"

Regulus breathed. "Absolutely _not."_

Draco laughed.

And so for the next two and a half hours, they studied. They studied each of Regulus's moves from the Quidditch match with thorough analysis and careful criticism. They both agreed that Regulus's rendition of the Sloth Grip Roll was absolute gold but that his many attempts at a Wronski Feint could use some serious work. But on the whole, Draco had been seriously impressed with Regulus's performance and even had high hopes for him to one day play exceptionally, if not professionally.

"Hey, what about you?" Regulus said when Draco said as much to him. "You're like the king of Quidditch."

But Draco shook his head. "I don't think you understand the impact that you had on your own team, man." Regulus looked up at him shyly. "If you practice a little more, by the time you graduate from Hogwarts your face could be on the cover of posters in Diagon Alley. No really, a-and your name could be on rosters and you could have your own brand of Quidditch robes."

"Stop it," Regulus mumbled.

Draco sat back. Two and a half hours and they were nearly right back where they'd been before the drama with Wilkes had started. Now if only Draco could get Regulus to smile...

On the whole, his 'lesson' with Regulus had made Draco feel more like himself than he'd felt in four months. Although Regulus hadn't done too well on his midterms, Draco wasn't worried about him for next term because now the two of them were talking. So, naturally, everything was going to get better.

"So," Regulus said when they started packing up around lunchtime.

"So," Draco repeated, grabbing his own books and heading for the door.

"Are we...gonna even talk about this?"

Draco didn't need to ask what he was referring to, but simply looked up at him as he opened the classroom door.

"No," he answered quietly. "Not yet."

Regulus nodded once and followed him out. Several students' heads turned as they passed by them, pretending like they didn't know why they were being watched. They parted once they reached the Entrance Hall and Draco stood there, thinking for a minute, before he turned to the Great Hall. The trouble was, Severus was blocking his path to it.

"Oh," Draco said, a little startled. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," said Severus. "Where've you been lurking the last few days?"

"Just in and about," Draco said. "You going to lunch?"

"No, I already ate," Severus said. Draco frowned at his watch and Severus added, "I'm doing the whole Hogsmeade thing now as opposed to before."

"Ah," said Draco. "Well um, I'm gonna be at the Slug party later."

"Yeah, I won't be there," Severus said quickly.

"Figured," Draco nodded. "And um, tomorrow I think the guys and I are going to Hogsmeade too."

"Well," said Severus, looking around once, "If I don't see you before Monday, hope you have a good break."

"Yeah, you too," said Draco quickly. He was about to ask whether Severus was going to be staying at Hogwarts for the holidays when Mulciber suddenly joined the boy's side.

"Ready?" he said to him, not minding Draco standing there.

Severus looked at Draco.

"See you in two weeks, I guess," Draco mumbled.

He gave Mulciber a dark look before pushing past him to the Great Hall. Just when he was starting to doubt whether the marauders would be back from Hogsmeade by now, he found Sirius and Remus seated at the edge of the Gryffindor table, looking in the midst of an argument. He moved past crowds of students until he finally managed a seat across from them and shoved himself into it.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked, slowly.

Sirius looked up from his paper and at the sight of Draco quickly put it away and sat up, looking fully alert.

Draco glanced over at the Slytherin table, where he saw most of the Slytherin gang finishing up and starting to leave.

"Yeah," he answered Remus, his eyes still on those boys. "Some things never change, I suppose."

His eyes fell on Sirius for a brief moment and Sirius gave him a prominent look before turning away again.

After lunch, Remus ran off to Hagrid's for a last tea before the holidays, while Sirius said he needed to go take care of something. And seeing as how neither James nor Peter had shown up yet, and Draco had the entire afternoon free, he decided he would do something that was long overdue, which he couldn't do with any company.

He stopped by the common room first to drop off his things. Then, he took his time out of Gryffindor Tower, smiling at every one who passed by him and said hi. The spirits in the castle were fairly high as of late, and Draco highly suspected this was because of the holidays. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood now, which was somehow making _him_ in a better mood than usual. He almost didn't mind that he had that Slug party to go to tonight. Dumbledore was right. It might be fun.

He finally reached the girls' bathroom on the third floor and took a careful look around the deserted corridor before letting himself in. It looked exactly as it had last time he'd been there—cold and lifeless. He looked around for a brief moment and then his eyes caught the grim windows in front and he started to walk towards them. By the time he reached the ledge, his body was slightly shaking as he felt himself delve right back into that original timeline where he'd visited this very place nearly every single day and cried about having no way out. He could feel the panic rising in him like it was only yesterday. He loosened his tie now and cleared his throat so as to bite back the tears that were surely headed to the surface. That naïve little boy from before was long gone, true, but somehow he still managed to sometimes climb back up. This was extremely frustrating because all Draco wanted now was to kick him back down and rise above this. He'd already risen above it. He'd spent four months in a completely twisted dimension with people he never would have agreed to hang out with if he'd had the choice. But now that he'd spent all this time with them, he understood their world and he wanted to be a part of it. Dumbledore was right. He _had_ changed since they'd first met...more than Dumbledore would ever know.

"Draco?"

He let out a cough and straightened up before turning to look at her. She was sitting atop one of the stall doors, looking puzzled at the sight of him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Draco took a second to pull himself together. Then, he slapped a smile on his face and said, "Visiting you, of course."

Myrtle gaped at him before releasing the happiest smile he'd ever gotten from any ghost.

"You just made my day, Draco M. Black."

By the time Draco left Myrtle's bathroom, it was already late afternoon and he knew he needed to get back to the common room and get ready for that Christmas party. As promised, he found a set of fresh new dress robes on his bed when he got back to the dormitory. They were actually of decent taste too, and polished looking. Draco picked up the jacket and examined it briefly before muttering, 'Thank you Dumbledore'.

After about ten minutes in the bathroom, just as he was finishing up with his hair, Draco heard the boys entering the dormitory mid conversation. He could hear James ranting about something but couldn't make out what it was. The clicks of locks told him that Remus and Peter were getting their own dress robes out of their trunks and that it was nearly time to go too. When he finally opened the bathroom door he caught the boys all by surprise because James stopped midsentence and changed his facial expression instantly.

"Damn," Sirius said, letting out a low whistle. "You look like you're about to go to an important meeting with the Minister of Magic."

"Gee, thanks," Draco told him sarcastically, moving back over to his bed to toss his Hogwarts robes into his trunk.

"You can go, Peter, I'll wait," Remus said. Peter went into the bathroom and Remus sat back on his bed, sighing deeply.

"So what's going on?" Draco dared ask, also sitting on his bed.

"Just reminding Jamesy here that it's not the end of the world that he isn't going to this stupid Slug party tonight," Sirius answered, winking once at James who scowled at him.

"You don't actually want to go, do you?" Draco asked him.

"No," James answered.

"He just doesn't want Peter to go with Lily," Sirius chimed in.

"Dude, _shut up!"_ James cried, throwing his pillow at him. Sirius ducked out of the way, yelled "Missed me!" and fell back on his bed, laughing. Remus rolled his eyes at him and then turned to James.

"Are Frank's guys gonna come with you guys?"

"That's the plan," James answered. He turned to Draco. "We're gonna get roaring drunk."

"Whoa, save somethin' for tomorrow night at least," Sirius said, suddenly sitting up.

"Who's to say I can't get drunk both nights?" James asked him in a serious tone.

Sirius howled with laughter again, but Remus said to James, "Ignore him. Do what you have to do, so long as we don't have to haul you over to Madame Pomfrey after when you're throwing up all over us."

"Don't worry, I'm a wise drinker," James promised.

"Hey I got a question," Remus said, suddenly turning to Sirius.

"Shoot," said Sirius.

"Why you being extra funny lately?"

Sirius laughed. "How'd you mean?"

"You're pulling jokes like every other minute, more so than usual." Remus paused. "You only do that when you're trying to overcompensate...or you're trying to hide something."

Sirius's smile faded.

"What's going on?" Remus prodded.

"You okay, Sirius?" said James, suddenly concerned.

Draco glanced at his friend who met his eyes briefly before saying to the room at large, "Guys, I'm fine. Drop it."

"You know we're here if you need to talk," Remus told him now.

But Sirius scoffed and looked away from him again. "Way to kill the mood, Moony."

Peter opened the bathroom door and Remus went to get changed. With him gone, the room fell suddenly silent and still. Peter stood awkwardly by the closed bathroom door, not knowing whether he should stand or sit. He seemed to be avoiding James's eyes too, but James was pretending to be staring at some corner of the room, concentrated hard. It seemed a while before Remus finally came out of the bathroom, looking thoroughly cleaned up and ready.

The boys hung around in the dormitory until quarter to seven and then came down to the common room which was fairly empty. There were only a few younger students hanging out in the corners. Everyone else was no doubt in Hogsmeade, celebrating the end of exams. But standing around the couches nearest the fireplace were four nicely dressed people, waiting. At the sight of the marauders approaching, Frank yelled "Well it's bloody about time!"

Alice took his hand in hers and squeezed it tight before laying her eyes on Draco. He was slightly taken aback at seeing her dressed up so nicely. She had on a long dark green dress which complimented her eye colour.

"Wow, you look great!" she cried once he'd reached her.

"Thanks, so do you," he smiled.

Beside her, Frank was looking very cool and collected. He nodded at Draco who nodded back. Then, his eyes fell on Lily and Mary, standing side by side, and his smile instantly faded.

They had both obviously spent the last couple of hours getting ready because they looked completely different than they normally did. Both girls had on makeup and their hair let down loosely. Lily was wearing a dark blue dress which fell to her knees in a nice flow, making her hair more vibrant than ever. Mary was wearing a salmon pink dress for the occasion which suited her very well too. But at the sight of Draco, she blushed fervently and busied herself with the bracelet she had on.

"Hello boys," Lily said, ignoring the fact that James and Sirius were both gaping at her and Mary with their mouths hanging open like dumb dogs. She turned to Remus. "Where is Lyra meeting you?"

"Just outside Slughorn's office," Remus responded. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, we don't want to be late," said Alice.

She and Frank led the way, while Lily locked arms with Peter and followed them.

Draco and Remus exchanged looks before turning back to James and Sirius, both of whom were still gaping.

"Hello?" Remus said, snapping his fingers in front of James's face.

James jumped.

"Well um," Sirius said, clearing his throat and turning away from Mary, "We're, uh, gonna go."

"Yeah, long walk," James mumbled.

"See you later then," Remus called after them as they disappeared from the common room in a hurry.

"What...?" Draco began, but Remus only shook his head and followed the others.

Draco took Mary's hand and led her out as well. He could tell she was nervous but his main goal had suddenly turned into making sure she had fun tonight. She looked like she hadn't had fun in a long time and he wasn't going to let anyone ruin this for her. But somehow, it seemed that the closer they got to Slughorn's office, the more nervous she became. The others were completely immune as Draco and Mary were at the back of the lineup and they were all too wrapped up in their own conversations too. When they turned the corner, Draco squeezed Mary's hand slightly so she'd look at him.

"Everything alright?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded without a word.

 _I'll take that as a no,_ he thought to himself. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

By the time they reached the corridor at the end of which Slughorn's office was located, they could hear the sounds of laughter, music and loud conversation growing louder with every step they took. Draco had initially thought that it'd just be the seventeen Slug Club members with their dates but when he entered the party room he realized just how wrong he'd been.

Daily Prophet photographers were flashing their cameras at every corner like it was the Opening Ceremony of the Quidditch World Cup. Reporters were getting their interviews and autographs. Ministry officials were discussing politics over wine and crumpets. Famous Quidditch players, whom Draco had never dreamt he'd meet, were laughing over Cauldron Cakes and dancing to the music emitting from the golden instruments that were stationed at the back, charmed to play at their own accord. And in the middle of it all was Professor Slughorn, with a glass of champagne in one hand, a cigar in the other, and a very charming smile slapped right across his face. His dress robes flowed elegantly as he welcomed the new arrivals.

"Merry Christmas everyone!" he beamed at them, shaking first Remus's hand and then Frank's. "Lily! Sweet Lily, so glad you could make it!"

"Evening, professor," she told him, also shaking his hand. "You know Peter, don't you? From class?"

"Ah, Pettigrew," said Slughorn, shaking Wormtail's hand. Wormy also looked incredibly overwhelmed by the crowd and very nervous indeed. "And what brings you here tonight?"

"Well professor, I invited him," Lily said, brightly.

Slughorn hesitated. "Ah well, hope you enjoy yourselves then! Do try the scallops, they're quite excellent. Ah, Miss Cattermole!"

Draco could feel Mary tense around him and he held her tighter so that she wouldn't fall from the overwhelming crowd. Everyone else seemed to have scattered quickly to join their fellow housemates or to introduce themselves to the celebrities that had shown up tonight. Feeling just as outcast as Mary, Draco led her a little away from the madness so that they could watch it instead of be in it.

"Wow," she breathed a short while later.

"Yeah," Draco said, nodding with his eyes on the crowd. "Wow."

"This is...too much, I think," Mary said.

Draco looked at her. "With Slughorn, it is never too much."

He then spotted Remus walking with a blonde girl at his side. She looked a lot like Mary, though her hair was slightly shorter and less vibrant, and she was wearing a white sparkling dress.

"Who's that he's with?" Mary asked, noticing Draco watching as the two passed by and acknowledged them with nods.

"Lyra Miller from Ravenclaw," Draco answered.

"Is she a sixth year?"

"Fifth," Draco shook his head.

Frank then walked up to Draco with beaming eyes full of sparkles.

"What?" Draco dared ask, afraid of the answer.

Frank had apparently left Alice behind with Lily and Slughorn and he looked like he couldn't contain himself any longer.

"What?" Draco repeated, urgently.

"You'll never guess who I just met," Frank breathed. "Listen, don't go too far, okay? I'm gonna be back later—there's someone you've _got_ to meet."

He handed Draco a drink and then looked back, still excited. He ran a hand through his hair and breathed the word 'wow'.

"They, uh, let you have champagne then?" Draco asked awkwardly, glancing once at Mary who looked just as confused as he.

"It's non-alcoholic," Frank muttered. "The caterer was nice enough to inform me. Even though there's many of us here tonight who are of age, Slughorn thought it's best to be safe." He turned to look at the pair. "Even the adults here tonight are alcohol free."

"How charming," Draco said, looking away.

Slughorn was making them all endure this night of torture but he couldn't even provide decent drinks to get them through it.

Frank bumped Draco's shoulder again and then hurried away. Draco stared after him for a while and then resumed his skimming of the crowd for any sign of Regulus. He'd said he'd be there, so there wasn't a reason why he shouldn't be...unless he'd changed his mind at the last minute and decided not to come. Why should he anyway? He'd been through so much in this year alone. Draco doubted that silly little parties like these were on his agenda.

He scanned the room once more, certain that he hadn't seen everyone yet. But it was so hard to make out any of the faces. Slughorn had really outdone himself with this party. There were crimson flowers on every table along with baskets of fruit and champagne bottles in ice. Caterers were passing around the large office, offering people silver platters of finger food and sparkling drinks with incredible aromas. The office walls and ceiling were draped in emerald and gold hangings, accompanied by twinkling little Christmas lights to make up for the lack of a tree. It had to be the most festive party Draco had ever been too, and that included both timelines.

"There you are!" he finally cried at the sight of Regulus approaching him.

Regulus looked quite handsome in his dress robes, but at the sight of Mary, he grew instantly serious and slightly annoyed-looking too. And Mary...well, she tensed around Draco's arm even more, if that were at all possible.

"Reg, you know Mary, right?" Draco tried.

Regulus eyed her carefully before nodding his head. "Y-yes, hi you're..."

"My date," Draco answered, his hold around Mary tightening slightly so she wouldn't try running away. "Mary's kindly agreed to accompany me tonight."

"I see," said Regulus. "Well that's nice."

Mary said nothing but looked away from him instead. Noticing, Regulus cleared his throat.

"Um, you guys should try the, uh, caviar rolls. They're really good."

"There's _caviar rolls?"_ said Draco, incredulously. "Damn."

"Yeah, Slughorn doesn't miss a thing," Regulus agreed.

Mary was still silent as a fish, but Draco refusing to let go of her arm was his way of showing her that he had her back and that he wasn't going to let anyone ruin this night for her. She'd gone to a great deal to make herself look like a shining star tonight. Clearly she'd looked forward to this.

"So," said Regulus, glancing again at Mary, "I'm gonna, uh, go talk to some people I saw earlier."

"Yeah," said Draco, nodding.

"I'll see you guys later then," Regulus turned to leave. "Oh but Draco, later you have to come find me. There's someone I want to introduce you to."

"Kay," said Draco, nodding again.

Regulus waved goodbye to him and walked away. As soon as he was gone, Mary breathed.

Draco glanced around the room again and then accepted two non-alcoholic champagne glasses from a walking-by caterer and handed one to Mary.

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking nervous sips and still looking around the grand room.

Remus and his date were talking to a pair of witches on the other side of the room, and by the looks of it, they were having a great time. Frank and Alice were dancing in the middle of the office, amongst a few other witches and wizards as well. Avery and Rosier, both of whom had brought Slytherin girls as their dates, were hanging around by the windows with drinks in their hands and serious looks on their faces. They, like the rest of the Slytherin gang, had been laying low ever since Wilkes' incident. And across from them, near the table with the fruit platters, was Sybill Trelawney, who looked to be very fascinated with whatever Xenophilius Lovegood was showing her in his notebook.

Draco sipped his drink again and looked at Mary. "See? This isn't so bad."

She laughed softly and sipped her drink too.

"You hardly know anybody here anyway," Draco tried again. "Except for Lily maybe but she's off enjoying herself, by the looks of it." He looked ahead at where Lily was deep in conversation with Slughorn Peter was eating a caviar roll next to her and nodding along with everything that she and the professor were saying. Draco looked back at Mary. "And those who you don't know are probably thinking 'Who is this terrific girl next to that popular kid'?"

Mary laughed again.

"See? Got you laughing," Draco observed, grinning at her.

She looked up at him again and smiled. "So, you really care about him, don't you?"

"I'm sorry, who?"

"The younger Black," she said. "You wouldn't calm down until you saw him here."

"Yeah well...he and I had a bit of a falling out and it's been resolved, recently, so I don't wanna mess it up."

"That's very mature," said Mary.

Draco frowned at her. "Mature how?"

"It's very unlike the rest of your friends," she explained. "James, Sirius...they'd rather just pretend like nothing's wrong and not face the problem."

"Well, that's a great technique and everything, don't get me wrong, but there are problems, and then there are _problems."_

"Yes," Mary agreed, sipping her drink again. "Yes indeed."

Draco's eyes fell on Slughorn again, who was now introducing Lily and Peter (but more so Lily) to a very official-looking older gentleman who was eyeing Lily oddly as he listened to Slughorn's rants about her impressiveness as a student and future whatever.

"Hey can I ask you something?" Draco said, turning back to Mary. She looked at him. "Why did you need to think about it?" Her eyebrows rose. "When I asked if you'd come with me tonight?"

"Oh," Mary said, looking away from him.

"I mean I know you have your trust issues right now," Draco continued, "But I was under the impression that I'd left things off with you rather well...that we weren't exactly strangers. I mean, we've hung out a couple of times...played a few games even..."

Mary laughed at the memory of Monopoly and Truth.

"Were you hesitant about going with me or about going at all?"

They were quiet for a long time before Mary finally looked at him again. "I needed to confirm that it was completely appropriate for me to come with you, w-without other people getting...hurt."

"Other people as in Sirius?" said Draco. When Mary didn't answer, he lowered his glass and looked at her. "Or are we talking about someone else here?"

"Whoops, sorry!" cried Hestia Jones, who accidentally bumped into Draco now on her way passing by.

Mary sighed. "You know, I'm really hot. Would you mind getting me another drink? Preferably a cold one?"

"Sure," Draco said, taking her empty glass with him.

He passed by dancing wizards and laughing guests and eating students and lots of excitement until he reached the refreshments table. Stebbins, that sixth year dork from Ravenclaw, was hanging out nearby and smiled brightly at the sight of Draco. Draco gave him a light nod and looked away. _Freak._

His eyes fell on Regulus, who was seen across the room talking to that Claire Cattermole girl. She was laughing at something he'd said and pushing him away slightly. Draco smiled to himself. How was it that two brothers who were completely different were yet the exact same? So much did Regulus remind him of Sirius, that it was funny, really. They were fighting a war that wasn't worth anything. But how could Draco understand it without first knowing everything about how it'd started?

"Hello," said Lily, appearing just before him. He snapped out of his daze and looked at her.

"You look bored," she observed, tilting her head slightly.

Draco looked at her carefully. She too, looked like she'd spent the last couple of hours getting ready for this thing.

"You look like you love being a member of this _club,"_ Draco said back.

Lily raised her eyebrows and gestured at the room as a whole. "Look around you, this place is packed. I'm hardly the only one."

Giffard Abbott passed by them hurriedly with his date, muttering to her, "It's really him! I swear, come look!"

Draco grumbled silently. That had to be the third time that he'd been bumped that evening.

"Yeah," he said now, taking a sip of what was supposed to be Mary's drink and then setting it down. "Let's go dance."

He grabbed Lily's arm before she could protest and led her to the center of the office, where several other pairs were dancing to the tune of the golden instruments, among them being Remus and Lyra. Lily looked a little startled as Draco spun her round and round quickly and moved them slightly away from the other dancing pairs. He kept scanning the room with his eyes and already had anger plastered on his face.

"What's going on?" Lily tried asked, turning again in his arms.

Draco did not answer right away, but when he did, it was in a darkened tone and his eyes were finally on hers. "You wouldn't by any chance happen to know why Mary said she had to think about it when I asked her to be my date, would you?"

"What? No, of course not," said Lily.

"Really?" said Draco, not believing it for a second. She stared at him.

"I don't even know what you're—"

"And I think you're a liar," Draco snapped at her.

Lily stopped dancing and looked at him angrily. "You need to stop this, Draco." She glared at him now, both hands in fists at her sides. "Using fear and intimidation to get what you want—it's not going to happen."

"Ha, I've been using it all my life," Draco said to her. _"Of course_ it's going to work."

He grabbed her again and spun her twice before she pushed him away.

"Not with me it's not," she promised. When Draco said nothing, she took a step towards him so that he'd really hear her this time. "I already told you once—I'm not afraid of you. And there is nothing that you can say or do that will change my mind."

And with that, she walked away from him. Draco remained rooted to the spot long enough to realize that he was in the middle of a dancefloor surrounded by dancing idiots laughing their way around him. He hurried out of the spotlight quickly and went to grab another drink. Just before he'd reached the table however, someone grabbed his arm. He turned around to see that it was Frank.

"What are you—?"

"Come on, you've got to meet this guy," said Frank, now pulling him away from the drinks. Draco sighed and followed him through the crowd, nodding and smiling at everyone he passed who greeted him, until he finally stopped in front of a tall, smart-looking wizard who stared down at him with interest. The wizard was surrounded by several other laughing wizards but he himself looked serious, much like Claybrook actually, and was holding a drink in one hand, with the other settled behind his back.

"Sorry to bother you again, Mr. Grant," Frank began, unable to hide his excitement. He let go of Draco's arm now and sighed happily. "Draco, _this_ is Lukesse Grant." He turned back to the wizard. "Mr. Grant, I believe this is the wizard whom you were talking about earlier."

Lukesse Grant ignored the fact that Draco's mouth was hanging slightly open and his eyes were round with shock. He offered him his hand and smiled down at him. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Draco Black. I've heard so much about you."

Draco looked down at the hand and then up at the wizard again. Beside him, Frank let out a laugh.

"Sorry sir, he's in shock."

Draco let out a laugh too and slowly reached up and took the man's hand.

"So this is the famous boy that Albus Dumbledore adopted," Lukesse Grant said, releasing Draco's hand.

"T-that's me," Draco said, straightening himself up. "You, uh, _you_ wanted to meet _me."_ He turned to Frank. "How did you know I wanted to meet him?" He turned to Lukesse Grant. "I mean you. I mean sir."

"Hah, every normal person wants to meet this particular wizard," Frank said, slipping his hands into his pockets and grinning broadly at the man again. "I'll let you two talk then."

He left.

Lukesse Grant turned to Draco again.

"What's wrong with me wanting to meet you? I'd say you're pretty damn cool."

Draco laughed nervously. _Yeah, in what way?_

"With all due respect, sir—"

"Please, call me Luke."

"—you're basically a retired Quidditch player who made his name playing pro on an _American_ team...you...you're like the greatest chaser that's ever lived!"

"I take it you're a chaser then yourself," Lukesse Grant smiled.

"I..." said Draco. He couldn't believe that he was actually talking to _the_ Lukesse Grant... _the_ man whom he'd spent virtually his entire childhood worshipping.

"Sadly, my days of playing Quidditch are behind me—I'm far too old to be doing that stuff anymore."

"Old? You look great!" Draco said, coughing slightly before he could get the words out. He had seen pictures of this man in old age. Right now, he looked far from it.

"Hah, I'm pulling sixty but thanks," he said now.

Draco gaped at him.

Frank rejoined them now with a new drink in his hand and an even brighter smile than before.

"So like, what do you do nowadays?" Draco asked, silently kicking himself for asking such a pathetic question. His entire childhood, he'd made up lists of things he'd ask Lukesse Grant if he'd ever gotten the chance to meet him and now he couldn't stop babbling like some idiot.

"Well I hardly call myself a retired Quidditch player anymore," the man now said. "I'm more into the business side of things...the politics."

"You're an entrepreneur now, aren't you?" said Frank.

"Full time, yeah," said Lukesse Grant. "After the second muggle war, I put behind my days of flying and focused on more important things, like the Gallert Grindelwald effort and those damn death eaters."

"Whoa," said Draco and Frank together. They both of course already knew the stories, Draco more so than Frank since he had decades more to go on, but it still sounded wicked cool to hear them firsthand.

"...and basically I've been writing ever since and I'll tell you," said Lukesse Grant, now chuckling lightly, "It's been great. I've got a ton of fans who make it worth the while."

"Yeah, I'll bet!" said Frank, who seemed to have collected himself in his absence.

Draco smiled to himself. Those numerous adventures that Lukesse Grant wrote for muggle children were all memorized inside his head since he'd been nine probably. His parents had first frowned upon his request that they buy him every last edition of those muggle stories. But once he'd explained just how legendary this wizard was and how his stories were all twisted versions of the real adventures he'd gone through, they understood.

"Man, I do miss it though," the man sighed now. "Quidditch. It was...it was like a dream..." Draco watched him with sparkling eyes. "It was like everything I'd ever wanted had come true."

"That must be incredible, s-sir," said Frank.

"Luke, please," said the wizard, dismissively, his eyes somewhere else, like he was having a flashback now to his days of playing. "Man, it was great. The crowd were roaring. The players were flying. And the girls..." he grinned broadly now. "Phew, the girls were partyin'."

Frank laughed again, one of his hands on Draco's shoulder so as to keep him from falling of excitement. Draco too, couldn't stop smiling. This was incredible. He couldn't wait to hear what James and Sirius would say when he told them all of this tomorrow.

"Shrimp?" Lukesse Grant suddenly cried, his eyes on a table in front. "There's shrimp? Alright!" He hurried over to the table and sampled one, ooh-ing and awe-ing at every bite. Draco and Frank exchanged looks, both still shock-stricken. But even they could silently agree that Lukesse Grant was not at all what they'd expected. He was a grown man alright, but at heart, he was still a child. A child with a Quidditch dream.

"Draco, my boy!" cried Professor Slughorn, finally noticing him at the party. "I was beginning to worry when I didn't see you. Thought you might skip out on me, so glad you could make it!"

"H-hello professor," Draco muttered, shaking his hand with little enthusiasm.

"Ah, I see you've met dear Lukesse here!" cried Slughorn, turning to the man and greeting him like an old friend. "How are you, pal? It's great to see you! So glad you could make it!"

Draco and Frank exchanged a look. How was it that a man as great as Lukesse was 'great pals' with a slime git like Horace Slughorn? Of course, it wasn't at all surprising that Slughorn would bring him here tonight so as to show off his connection to this amazing person, but still...Draco couldn't understand it.

"Come, come now, we must have a picture! A picture!" Slughorn was now saying as he rounded up several photographers and put his arms around Draco and Frank. Lukesse stood on the other side of Draco and winked at him once before the photographers began.

The rest of the night was an incredible, yet completely surreal blur. Draco and Frank let Lukesse be after their brief chat, so as not to seem eager or desperate. Draco found Mary again and danced with her a bit. At that point, Regulus finally introduced Draco to this witch called Maribella Fariss, who was supposedly very well developed in alchemy and had a lot of valid points to discuss with Draco regarding potions. After that, he also chatted briefly with Tyse Neilson, a famous magical astronomer who had sought help from Slughorn once upon a time and therefore attended these parties every year. But no one that Draco met that night came even remotely close to Lukesse Grant, who was practically the talk of the party. Even Mary seemed impressed with meeting him, though she wasn't as big a fan as Draco. Now that he thought about it, seeing as how he knew of the man way longer than any of these people, he had to be the biggest fan at that party (and in the world, but that was another story entirely).

Near the end of the night, after several drinks, lots of food and many dances, Draco and the rest of the Gryffindors decided it was time to call it a night. They bid their farewells and their goodnights and left the party together. Draco was sure to wave bye to Regulus before he left, since he wouldn't see him for the rest of the weekend. On the way back to Gryffindor Tower, he and Frank ranted to Remus (but mostly to each other) about Lukesse Grant and everything that they'd talked with him about.

By the time they reached the common room, Draco had loosened his tie and was all ready to collapse right there on the couch. He didn't think he'd be able to make it up the stairs to the dormitory where James and Sirius were no doubt already passed out from drinking. Unless they weren't back yet...

But Frank seemed like he wanted to keep talking so Draco, Remus and the others stayed down in the common room for another hour. At one point though, Lily and Mary moved away from the group and started seemingly arguing on the other side of the common room. It ended with Lily stomping away from Mary angrily and slamming her door shut at the top of the stairs. Draco instantly got to his feet and approached Mary, a worried look on his face.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing," she said, shaking her head. "It's between me and her, we'll figure it out."

Draco nodded, his eyes on the door that Lily had just slammed.

"I, um, had fun tonight," Mary said, turning his attention back to her. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Thank you for making it bearable," Draco replied. "I had fun too."

Mary bid him goodnight and retreated up the stairs, and shortly after, Alice and Remus and Peter did the same. Draco and Frank were the last ones in the common room because there was just so much to discuss. And the more they discussed it, the more Draco realized how grateful he was that he'd decided to come to this party after all.

"Fuck no," said Sirius when Draco told the boys next day.

"Yes," Draco said, nodding fervently.

Both Sirius and James turned to Remus and Peter, who in turn also nodded.

"You...you didn't..." said James, a pained look on his face. "You...r-really?"

"Really," Draco confirmed, grinning.

"Fucking no way," said Sirius. "That's...that's so..."

"We didn't even..."

"How could Slughorn fucking do this to us?!" Sirius cried suddenly. "He _knows_ we're like, massive fans! Didn't even..."

"...get us an autograph!" cried James.

Draco frowned suddenly, pulling out two napkins from his pocket and setting them on the table in front of him. "Good thing I took care of that for you."

It took a while, but after James and Sirius got over the shock of their missed opportunity to meet the famous Lukesse Grant, they graciously accepted the autographed napkins from Draco and delved right into their questionnaire.

"What was he like?"

"Did he really fight off all those muggle soldiers or is that just a rumour?"

"Is he still working on those stories?"

"Does he ever play anymore?"

"How the hell does he know a git like Slughorn?"

"That last one's a mystery to me too," Draco declared on the way out of the Great Hall after breakfast, _"Believe me."_

The boys sighed collectively. And Draco...well, he couldn't stop smiling at all. Last night had been the first time that he hadn't regretted entering this timeline, but rather, was grateful that he had.

The boys returned to the common room to grab their winterwear before heading back out, but the room was already packed with Gryffindors throwing things left and right and packing as quickly as they could so as to get it over with. Some were passing around a sheet, which by the time it reached Draco, he realized was a short list of students staying at Hogwarts over the holidays. James took the sheet from Draco, glanced at him once and then tossed it at a passing by first year and never said another word.

"I still can't believe you met him," Sirius muttered on the way to Hogsmeade. "Fucking war hero, best athlete in the world and a genius writer...just...so unfair..."

"Damn the Slug Club," said James.

"DAMN IT," repeated Sirius, high-fiving his friend like it was some sort of statement.

Draco laughed. It really was incredible. He himself still couldn't believe it.

When they reached Hogsmeade, they went their separate ways, no doubt to do some last minute Christmas shopping. This was a perfect opportunity for Draco to pull out that small sack of gold that Dumbledore had given him. And by the time he was done with Hogsmeade, just after lunchtime, there wasn't much gold left. Oh well. Dumbledore hadn't exactly mentioned that he wanted to keep the change.

Draco spent the rest of the afternoon with the boys in the Great Hall, but something about their attitude changed after Hogsmeade. For one, James and Sirius weren't going on and on about Lukesse Grant anymore. And secondly, they all looked a little...grim. Especially Sirius. When Draco finally asked them what this was about, it was near evening. The boys exchanged looks and set their forks down, as if preparing for something they'd already rehearsed.

"Listen, we've discussed it," James began, glancing at each of the boys before continuing, "And we just don't see how it wouldn't be cruel for us to leave you at the castle this holiday season."

"Come again?" said Draco.

"Well, you staying here with just Dumbledore and the kitchen elves is a very dull idea," Remus chimed in. "W-we didn't feel right about it."

"And we've all become such good friends, w-we don't want you to spend the holidays alone!" cried Peter.

"Which is why," said James again, "We took a group vote and we decided that we're all gonna put our names down this year and stay at the castle with you."

Draco raised his eyebrows.

"It'll be great," Remus promised. "I saw the list—not that many people signed up in Gryffindor. We can explore the castle like all the time."

"We can add stuff to the map," said Peter.

"We can work on your animagus," said James.

"And sneak out every now and then," said Remus.

"It'll be great," said Peter. "Really, it will!"

"I...don't know what to say..." said Draco, turning to look at Sirius, who'd incidentally kept silent throughout this ordeal.

"Well don't act so surprised, jeez," said James. "We're only _friends,_ after all."

He smirked at Draco who smiled vaguely back and then looked at Sirius again.

"You...didn't tell them?" he finally managed, after a long, hard look at his friend.

The boys all looked round at Sirius who turned away from them and muttered "Course not" into his bowl.

"Tell us what?" said James, looking thoroughly confused.

Sirius cursed out loud and looked further away from him. Draco sighed and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from his pants pocket and set it down flatly on the table so that the boys could see.

"What's that?" said Peter.

"Oh no," said Remus, who was already skimming through it.

"It's an official invitation..." Draco began, his eyes falling on Sirius one last time before he looked at the rest of the boys, "...to spend the holidays at the Black family manor."

"Grimmauld Place, it's actually called," James said, a frown on his face.

Draco paused. "Y-you've been there before?"

"Once," said James. "It wasn't fun." He turned to Sirius next to him. "Did you know about this?"

Sirius nodded his head slowly and a few moments later, he pulled out his own letter and placed it on the table without a word. The boys read through it quickly and comprehension dawned on each of their faces.

"Regulus knows too," Draco offered, but he doubted anyone had heard him, except for maybe Remus.

"We practically spent the entire afternoon discussing this in Hogsmeade—why didn't you say something?" James told Sirius.

"I..." said Sirius, glancing once at Draco, "I don't know."

"Well..." said Remus, looking at Draco. "How do _you_ feel about this?"

Draco looked at each of the boys, wondering whether he should give the honest answer or make up some lie again.

"I'm actually curious," he ended up saying. "And plus I don't really think I have much choice...not according to the letter, anyway."

"Damn," said James, mostly to himself. "I'll tell ya— _this,_ I did not expect."

"Hah, no kidding," said Draco.

"Okay," said Remus, matter-of-factly. "So then you'll be with Sirius and Regulus over the holidays..." he looked at James, "W-where does that leave the rest of us?"

James thought for a minute. "I guess we could all go home then. I mean, my parents would've been pretty pissed if I didn't show up tomorrow, especially without warning beforehand."

"Okay so Draco won't be alone then!" said Peter, looking pleased.

"Great," said Draco and Sirius together, before glancing at each other.

Literally moments after, Frank and his boys showed up just in time and pulled the boys out of the Great Hall and into Gryffindor Tower faster than they could process it. Draco was grateful for the distraction—he felt the boys really needed it, after the bomb that he and Sirius had dropped. And Sirius needed some loosening up. He looked like a dead squirrel—or rather, like one that wanted to be dead but couldn't be.

When they entered the common room, they found that the party was already in full swing. An entire table full of liquor had been set up by Frank and his boys and seconds after their arrival, Draco and the marauders already had drinks in their hands.

"N-no, guys I r-really shouldn't," Draco kept mumbling but the marauders forced more and more drinks into his hands after he finished each one. "Guys, I...I can't drink, guys."

But they just wouldn't listen to him. It didn't even take Remus long before he was completely fried, and Peter too. Sirius and James looked like they could hold their drinks better than most people because they still seemed collected by ten o'clock.

It seemed that all the fifth, sixth and seventh year Gryffindors were in the common room tonight. Draco was pretty sure that at one point he even saw Lily and Mary laughing with some friends. In addition, Frank and the guys had bribed the younger ones into staying up in their dormitories for the evening, which was probably best anyway. At the rate that everyone was drinking, things were bound to get wild soon enough.

And wild, they got.

With every sip that Draco took, he washed away yet another worry—how to make a good man out of Regulus, gone. How Orion and Walburga Black would treat him once he arrived, over. How seeing Aunt Bellatrix again would affect him, forgotten. How Dumbledore planned to get him to master legilimancy, gone, gone, gone. At the stroke of midnight, Draco was already falling over and holding his head. The common room had become a swirl of colours and noise. Everywhere he looked, people were drinking, laughing, dancing, snogging, partying, shouting, cheering, crying. It was an absolute mess, but it was a mess he needed right now. He needed to get absolutely wasted at least once before meeting two of the most terrifying people he'd heard about—the only people that could possibly be responsible for what had become of Regulus Black.

Harrison Langley, one of those seventh years that always joked around with Frank, was now so drunk that he was shouting to the common room at large, "ALRIGHT SERIOUSLY, WHO WANTS TO SEE ME RIDE A BROOMSTICK NAKED?!"

And the people were drunk enough to cheer their agreements. Langley began stripping. Over in the corner, Sirius was snogging one girl while another was laughing in his ear. James was breaking furniture with Frank's friends on the other side of the common room. Peter was already passed out on one of the couches near the fireplace.

Draco laughed and tipped his drink over as he crawled over to the nearest couch to rest his head. He could make the long trip up to the dormitory and sleep this out there, true, but now that he looked on, those spiral steps looked far too distant for him to even bother. It was just as well...the couch was equally as comfortable. And it didn't even matter that he passed out now to the tune of Remus reciting one of the Sorting Hat's start-of-term poems, in nothing but his boxers and a Gryffindor scarf.

* * *

 **Damn...**


	28. The Latest Challenge

**Author's Note : A little teaser...the flashforward scene with Draco and James, where they're talking about something mysterious, is a HUGE scene...#32, can't wait to get there. **

**Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 28: THE LATEST CHALLENGE

When Draco awoke the next morning it was to a massive headache and blinding light. He could hear shuffling in the background but couldn't yet bring himself to open his eyes. His entire body ached as though he'd been forced to dig through tight holes the entire night. And the hard smell of liquor in the room was making him sick again.

He wasn't sure how long it took but he eventually got his eyes open and managed to lift his head only a little, so that he could see what was going on in the room. And what a bloody mess it was...

Feathers... _everywhere..._ decks of cards upon rolls of galleons piled on the floor...empty bottles tipped over on bedside tables and half naked people covered in feathers sleeping literally on top of lamps...

Draco shut his eyes and then opened them again and summoned the strength to lift himself up off of Sirius's bed, where he'd apparently passed out at some point last night. Sirius on the other hand, was on the window ledge in the corner, moaning as he held his head in his hands and rolled around. The curtains above him were half torn and falling. Someone was vomiting loudly in the adjacent dormitory bathroom. A few other people were slowly getting up, also groaning at their headaches or dusting feathers off of themselves. It seemed that several pillows in the room had exploded last night, among other things.

Frank and Kevin were passed out on James's bed, but James was nowhere to be found. Charles got up and shook them awake and they jumped to their feet.

"Gotta pack," Frank muttered, hurrying out of the room with his friends.

More and more people started to leave, or rather, stumbled their way out of the room, tripping and falling over empty bottles and piles of cards and holding their heads so as not to pass out again.

The bathroom door opened and Remus came out, looking very green. His hair was ruffled messy and his eyes bulging red.

"You okay?" Draco mumbled from the bed, not even trying to lift his head this time.

Remus nodded, holding his stomach and taking deep breaths. Then, his eyes landed on Peter, who was sitting in his own bed, and his mouth dropped. Startled, Draco looked at Peter as well. His mouth also dropped.

If he'd thought Remus looked green seconds ago, Peter's hair was _actually_ green.

Remus hurried over to his friend's side and began to examine the hair, while Peter kept repeating "get it off, get it off, get it off!"

Sirius flew off the window ledge then and slammed the bathroom door shut after himself. Seconds later, the sounds of vomiting filled the room. Draco fell back against the pillow and sighed deeply.

"What the fuck happened last night?" he muttered, placing a hand on his burning forehead.

"What _didn't_ happen?" Remus answered with his back to him, still examining Peter's hair. "It looks to be paint, not hair dye."

"I don't even remember doing it!" Peter cried. "Get it off, Moony, please! My parents will _k-kill_ me if I show up today l-looking like this!"

"Where's James?" Draco mumbled, turning in the bed and glancing around the room. There were three more people sleeping on the floor—two girls and a guy—but they too were starting to wake up now.

It seemed that at some point last night, the party had travelled from the common room up to the marauders' dormitory. Why was he even surprised?

Sirius came out of the bathroom and threw a glass of water down his own back. He then collapsed on the nearest bed (Remus's) and spotted some girl's sparkling high heels lying on it. He took one look at them, and then, realizing that Peter's hair was green, he fell back laughing.

"It's not funny, Sirius," Peter kept saying. "Please guys, get it off!"

"Yeah Sirius, you should see your own face," Remus was now saying. "You too, Draco."

Sirius stopped laughing and sat up again.

"Wait what?" said Draco, finally registering what Remus had said. He too, sat up. And for the first time that morning, he saw Sirius's face. And his shock mirrored on his own face. The two of them then flew into the bathroom together and gasped. It appeared that at some point during the party last night, they'd thought it wise to paint their faces. Completely. Half of their faces were painted red and the other half blue. Not an inch was left unpainted. The whites of their eyes had never been whiter as they stared at their reflections and touched the dried paint on their cheeks.

"Fucking hell," Sirius muttered, touching his cheek again. When the paint wouldn't come off, he shifted around in his pockets (no doubt for his wand) and then hurried back out of the room.

"Where's my..." he said, and then fell back on the nearest bed and groaned again. Draco slowly stepped out of the bathroom.

"Here, gimme that," James said, finally having appeared in the dormitory, fully clothed and looking well. He grabbed Remus's wand and pointed it at Peter. _"Finite incantatum."_

The green from his hair vanished instantly and the boy breathed a sigh of relief and fell back on his own bed.

It looked like James's face had also been painted because there was still a small line of blue at the side of his cheek which he'd apparently missed while getting off the paint.

"You guys look ridiculous," Remus declared, sitting back on another bed.

"Speak for yourself," Sirius moaned without looking at him.

The last girl finally got to her feet, gasped at the sight of the boys, grabbed her shirt which she used to cover her bra now, and hurried out of the room, squealing her embarrassment. Sirius frowned and turned to Remus.

"Was she with you last night or with me?"

"I think _every_ girl was with you last night, Padfoot," Remus responded.

Sirius nodded simply and glanced up at James. "You missed a spot there, mate."

He stroked his own cheek to indicate what he was talking about but James simply pulled out his wand and cleaned the rest of his face off without even making some snide remark.

"Hey, wanna do me too?" Sirius said.

James sighed and waved his wand over him. He then hesitated and waved it over Draco too. Both their faces cleared up instantly and Draco suddenly felt loads better about having one less thing to do.

"We'd better pack, train's leaving soon," James announced, turning away from them and heading into the bathroom.

"Hey James, you mind—"

The door slammed without an answer.

Sirius turned to Draco, confused. "What'd I do? Hey, do you remember what I did last night?"

"Mate, I don't remember what _I_ did last night," Draco said quietly.

"Granted," said Sirius, turning to Peter. "How's that hair doin'?"

"Oh it's actually back to—"

"Oh man!" Sirius cried, ignoring Peter. He threw his head into his hands and groaned. "Aw, fuck this headache!"

"Calm down, Sirius," Remus moaned. "If you keep yelling like this, you'll give _all_ of us a headache."

"Hey, if I go down, I take everybody with me, you know that," Sirius told him, still holding his head. "Dammit..."

Remus stood up and sidestepped several empty bottles on the floor on his way to Sirius. He helped his friend sit up and put his arm around him.

"There, there, you'll be fine," he said. "This'll serve as a reminder for you that drinking and Sirius do not mix."

Looking down, Sirius nodded his head.

"And what was that about how a party ought to loosen us all up?" Remus now said, repeating Sirius's words from the night before. "You guys are crazy, you know that? You _actually_ went crazy last night."

"Hey," Draco said, sitting back down on the bed, "If I recall, at one point you stripped down to your boxers and scarf and started reciting poems all over the bloody common room." Remus's eyes went round and Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.

"Don't go pointing fingers, Moony," Draco concluded, and Remus was silent for the rest of the morning.

James came out of the bathroom after ten minutes and began waving his wand loosely around the room, piling empty bottles together in one corner, restoring feathers to pillows and stacking cards in neat piles on the made beds. Draco and the others helped, but Sirius had to run to the bathroom several more times so he was no use. By ten o'clock, they were in serious danger of missing the train back to King's Cross and could already hear the Gryffindors downstairs, so they hurriedly and carelessly started shoving their things into their trunks and tossing stuff at each other and yelling commands. James seemed to be the fastest of the five and was already headed downstairs by ten thirty.

Seeing the common room after the party was even worse than their own dormitory. The young Gryffindors were gasping their remarks as the older ones waved their wands and repaired the broken furniture and scattered bottles. There were feathers everywhere too, which Draco took care of with his own wand. Remus and Peter got the handprints of paint off the walls and ceiling (and the protesting portraits) and James took care of the couches, which looked like they'd undergone the torture curse.

Sirius finally came down from the dormitory with what looked like a headband tied around his forehead and he had sunglasses on. He was wearing pajama pants, snow boots, and a sweater with a scarf around his neck. With a bag over his shoulder, he managed to make it down the stairs, whilst his trunk floated behind him.

"Train leaves in twenty minutes, people!" Henry shouted, earning himself a couple of yells of protest. Everyone there seemed hungover and any noise at all was unwelcome at this point.

The younger Gryffindors did not shut up about how awful the common room looked and kept ranting to the older ones even as people started climbing out of the portrait hole and did that walk of shame down the corridor out of Gryffindor Tower. Portraits on the ceilings also gave yells of shock and some even laughed. Sirius, by the looks of it, was the only one dressed for the occasion.

"You could at least disguise like the rest of us and _pretend_ you're not hungover," Remus told him as they reached the crowded Entrance Hall where students were saying goodbye left and right.

"Yeah, yeah," was Sirius's only response.

They stopped in the Entrance Hall and said goodbye to their passing classmates who in turn wished them happy holidays. Standing near the entrance to the Great Hall however, was Dumbledore, with his hands behind his back and a curious expression on his face. He too, said farewell to many students and wished them a safe trip and happy holidays. Draco didn't need to think about it twice. Without a word to the marauders, who were talking to Frank and his friends now, he crossed the Entrance Hall to where Dumbledore was standing. At the sight of him, Dumbledore smiled warmly.

"Had a long night, did we?"

"I've been invited to stay at the Black family house for the holidays and the letter pretty much said I had no choice and that they're expecting me so I'm going there now," Draco blurted out really, really fast.

Dumbledore's expression did not change.

"I know you thought I was gonna stay here," Draco added momentarily, "I-I thought so too, honestly. But I only just got the letter yesterday."

"I know," Dumbledore said, quietly.

"And frankly I'm terrified to go but I...wait, you know?"

Dumbledore's smile widened slightly. "Yes Draco, I know."

Draco stared at him. _Of course he knew._

"S-so you're not m-mad?" he asked slowly.

Dumbledore let out a laugh. "Why, of course not! Why would I be mad?" He put an arm around Draco's shoulder and started to lead him into the empty Great Hall, away from the noise of the Entrance Hall. Looking over his shoulder, he then turned to Draco and placed both hands on his shoulders.

"You have a cover story to keep up with here—you are supposed to be a Black."

"I know."

"And knowing Orion and Walburga, it only makes sense for them to request that you join them in their home this holiday season."

Draco frowned. He had no idea what to expect of this trip or how to act when he met them.

"I have but the utmost faith in you, Draco," Dumbledore added more quietly. "You will do just fine."

"But I—"

"And remember," he leaned down to level with Draco, "Help will always be given to you if you just ask for it."

Draco stared at him. Maybe he was still drunk from last night, but that made absolutely _zero_ sense to him. Nevertheless, he nodded. Dumbledore straightened up.

"I do hope you have a Happy Christmas, Draco. And let the holidays take your mind off of everything you've dealt with for the last four months."

"I will," Draco promised. "Have a good holiday, professor."

When he rejoined the marauders in the now slightly less crowded Entrance Hall, he found them apparently arguing over something. James had his back to them and was watching the doors through which students were now exiting with their things.

"Listen," Sirius was saying, standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Everything will be fine, you've gotta relax, Remus."

"It's not a bloody joke," Remus argued.

"Yes, _I know that,"_ Sirius said, irritably. "Listen, stick around, will you? I've gotta run to the hospital wing before we go."

"What—no! There's no time!" Remus cried.

"No, I _need_ to though," Sirius went on. "You don't understand..."

"No, Sirius," James suddenly said, his voice bold. Sirius frowned at his friend, confused, but James only glared at him and added, very seriously, "We're going straight to Hogsmeade. _Now."_

The rest of the boys stopped walking too and stared at each other, not sure what to say. James had never bossed any one of them like that before—at least not since Draco had arrived. But Sirius, whose eyes never left James, cleared his throat.

 _"You_ can go to Hogsmeade," he said, in a tone of voice that told everyone he wasn't going to let even James tell him what to do. _"I'm_ going to the hospital wing."

Remus started to protest but Sirius wasn't listening and was already on his way. Draco rolled his eyes and told Remus he'd go with him. He then hurried after Sirius while the others followed James. Just before disappearing from the Entrance Hall, Draco glanced backward and saw James still watching him and Remus saying, "Why can't you just talk to me?"

"Hey wait up," Draco called, catching up to Sirius who was walking rapidly away.

"Sorry I stormed back there," Sirius said. "It's just sometimes, he pisses me off—especially when he won't bloody tell us what's got him all hot and bothered."

"Yeah," Draco said, following him as they turned a corner and climbed up steps. "Um, what do you need the hospital wing for?"

Sirius glanced at him in his dark shades. "I need a few 'encouragements' for the train ride."

"But you don't seriously think you'll still be hungover by the time we reach King's Cross, do you?" Draco said.

Sirius glanced at him again. "Who said anything about being hungover?"

They finally reached the hospital wing and Sirius pushed open the doors, catching Madame Pomfrey in the middle of making the beds by waving her wand. At the sight of him, she sighed and turned away.

"Not this time, Mr. Black," were her only words before she hid herself in her office.

"Oh come _on!"_ Sirius cried, hurrying after her. She slammed the door in his face and he hissed slightly at the pain it brought to his head. Several moments later, he was knocking softly on her door and pleading— _begging—_ for her to come out and relieve the pain.

"You do this nearly every time, Black!" she called from within her office.

"You don't know what it's like back home!" Sirius cried. _"Please!"_

Draco stood back, watching, with his hands in his pockets and his own bags at his side. Remus was right. They _were_ gonna be late now.

"Uh Sirius," he tried but Sirius didn't hear him at all and only continued his pursuit of Madame Pomfrey.

Finally, something seemed to convince her because she opened her door and looked at him with disapproval.

"Pretty please?" he said to her, both hands brought together.

"You're despicable," Madame Pomfrey declared, handing him three small liquid vials. "Take three drops a night— _three only."_

"Yes ma'am," Sirius squealed, shoving the vials into his pockets.

"And this is for the journey," Madame Pomfrey added, handing him an even smaller vial full of crimson red potion. "Don't make me regret this, Black."

"I won't," he said, kissing her on the cheek before hurrying back to Draco and grabbing his bags.

"Happy Christmas!" he called over his shoulder as the two sped out of the hospital wing and down the corridor, tuning out the nurse's yells of protest.

"What..." Draco tried but there was no time. The clock was ticking and the train was starting.

When they reached Hogsmeade Station, the third whistle had already blown and the last door was closing. They'd only just managed to squeeze through the doors with their bags and things when the train started to move.

"Fucking made it," Sirius breathed, dropping his bags to the floor and holding his knees.

Draco was gasping too. They had run all the way there without stopping.

"What did Dumbledore say to you back there?" Sirius gasped without looking at him.

"Oh he just...wanted to...say...Happy Christmas..." Draco breathed.

Sirius nodded.

Once they were finally calm and collected, the train was well and moving; and as Draco peeked through one of the windows, he spotted Hogwarts growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Following Sirius down the train now and peeking into every passing compartment, the realization suddenly hit Draco that this was the first time he was leaving Hogwarts territory in this timeline. If it weren't for him still being partly drunk, he'd surely have a panic attack right about now. What on earth was going to happen when they reached King's Cross and the effects of last night wore off entirely?

It took them just over ten minutes before they finally spotted the marauders' compartment. Peter and Remus looked mighty relieved when Sirius pushed open the compartment door and shoved himself in with Draco, but James only turned his head slightly in their direction and didn't even look them in the eyes.

"Can't believe you guys made it, we were really starting to think you wouldn't," Remus kept saying as he helped the boys put their bags away.

"What'd we miss?" Sirius sighed, falling back on one of the seats and resting his head against the back.

"Hagrid says Happy Christmas," Peter said. "He saw us off."

"Yeah and a load of other people too," Remus said.

Something suddenly hit the window, making the boys all jump (except for James). He got to his feet at once and pushed the window open, letting that sarcastic brown owl of his in. Ignoring the other boys, James sat the owl down in his lap and untied the letter attached to it.

"Thanks Harry," he muttered, unfolding the letter and beginning to silently read it as though nothing had happened.

Draco glanced at Remus who shook his head at him with a shrug and continued to watch James. When James was finally through reading, he put the letter away and rested his head against the window, letting his eyes shut.

"Perhaps a nap ought to lighten you up," Remus told him, but that too, was ignored.

"Alright," Draco said, sitting up. "Should we do this now or...?"

"Yeah, the sooner the better," Remus said, pulling out a notepad and a pen. "I'll go first." The boys waited. Sirius crossed his legs in his seat and his head fell back again, sunglasses still on and headband still tied on his forehead.

"Let's see," Remus said, beginning to write, "I remember Frank and the guys shoving us into the common room..."

"...where the party was already in full swing," Draco chimed in.

Remus nodded and jotted it down. "I remember there being a drinks table."

"Yeah and they made us all drink to get the party really started," Peter said.

"I remember taking three drinks, that's all," Remus said, still writing.

"I remember you reciting those poems half naked," Draco said, pointing at Remus who blushed fervently and said, "Um...there was music..."

Draco laughed. Beside him, Sirius moaned again and held a hand up.

"Not so loud, mate," he whispered.

Draco smirked and glanced at James across from him. The boy hadn't moved a muscle and his owl was now snoozing beside him too.

"Lots of people were kissing," Peter added now. He gasped and looked at Sirius. _"You!"_

"Yeah," said Remus, smirking and writing it down. "Sirius snogged plenty of girls, that's a given."

Sirius only shrugged, his eyes closed beneath the shades. Apparently, it wasn't anything he hadn't heard or done before.

"Did you...?" said Remus, suddenly looking up at Sirius. "I mean...well I saw you go into that broomstick closet with Jane Hitherton..."

Sirius suddenly grinned. "Yeah...we did."

"Alright Sirius!" cried Peter, offering to high five him, but Sirius only shushed him and held his head again.

 _"Quiet, please,"_ he hissed.

The boys sniggered stupidly.

"You...sh-shagged her..." Draco finally said, so as to set things straight.

"Shagged her senseless," said Sirius, simply. "Hey, it's Christmas. The holiday season is about...giving."

Remus let out a laugh which brought Sirius's head down to his knees again and forced several groans out of him. Again, Draco's eyes fell on James who was still as a rock with his eyes forced shut and his head leaning against the window.

"When did we manage to get our faces painted?" Draco wondered out loud, turning to Remus and the others. "I only remember passing out on the couch downstairs and then waking up on _your_ bed, Sirius. I have no idea how I got there or when I managed to paint my face."

"Your face was painted for you," James said aloud without moving or opening his eyes. Everyone turned to look at him. He turned his head slightly and met Draco's eyes. "After you passed out upstairs, the party moved there too and Frank painted all of our faces. You were asleep so they gathered around you."

"I...don't remember getting upstairs though," Draco mumbled, but James didn't say another word.

Apparently fed up, just like the rest of them, Remus sat up. "James, I am gonna ask you one more time. _What_ is the matter?"

It was a full minute before James turned his head to find all four boys watching him, waiting.

 _"Nothing,"_ he answered bitterly.

"That's not good enough, mate," Sirius said, lifting his head slightly. Draco bit back a smirk. He couldn't take him seriously with those shades on and the headband around his forehead...not to mention the pajama pants with little broomsticks on them. But Sirius had a bold look on his face now as he watched James. "Tell us the truth."

James glanced at Remus and Peter, and then stood up. "I'll be back."

The boys started to protest but James had already gone from the compartment before any of them could stop him.

"Damn," Sirius said, tilting his head back again.

"Whatever this is, it's something big," Peter said.

"I don't think I've seen him like this since..." said Remus, his voice trailing off.

"H-he'll come around though soon, won't he?" said Peter.

"I'm not sure," Draco answered quietly.

"Just leave him alone for now," Sirius said, sitting back again. "He'll come to us when he's ready. If he doesn't wanna talk, that's his problem."

Draco frowned at these words, surprised to hear Sirius saying them of all people. But Sirius didn't give it another thought. In fact, he pulled out the single red vial that Madame Pomfrey had given him and gulfed down half of it in three seconds. After that, it didn't take long before his head was resting on the window too. Remus smiled at Draco and put his notepad away. He then pulled out a deck of cards and turned to face Peter. Draco took the seat James had occupied before, turned to the window and leaned against it, figuring that now would be a great time to think about what Grimmauld Place would be like.

He awoke just past noon, having fallen asleep against the window. James, by the looks of it, was back in the compartment and hidden behind a book called _Quidditch: A Mind Game and a Battle._ He was sitting where Draco had before. Sirius had taken his glasses off finally and was now counting coins on the seat next to him. And Remus was flipping through the Prophet, looking thoroughly pleased.

"Where's Peter?" Draco mumbled, slowly straightening up in his seat.

"Hey, you're awake!" said Remus, looking up from the paper. "He's in the washroom—how was your nap?"

"Fine, except now I feel more tired than before."

"Hah," said Sirius, still counting his gold.

Remus smirked and then turned the paper in his hands so that Draco could see. There, right on the cover of that day's Prophet, was a moving photograph of himself standing with Frank, Slughorn and Lukesse Grant.

"I-I made the cover?" Draco mumbled, leaning towards the paper and narrowing his eyes at it.

"It's a great read too if you wanna check it out later," Remus promised, flipping it back to him again.

Something told Draco that that was Remus being sarcastic.

"Fuck," Sirius said, having finished counting.

"What, you're short?" Remus said without looking up.

"Yeah, by a couple hundred," Sirius responded, shaking his head. "I lost most of it to that slimy git Charles last night."

"Gambling?" Draco mumbled.

"Mm," said Sirius, his eyes on the coins in front of him.

"I-I told you it was a bad idea, Padfoot," Peter said, "Last night, do you remember?"

"Yeah Wormy but when I'm drunk I don't care what's a good or bad idea. I just go for what I want." Sirius looked up, pausing. "Like Jane Hitherton."

Draco smirked.

He was only grateful that he hadn't been as wildly drunk as Sirius last night. Passing out so quickly had to be the smartest thing he'd done in a long time. Apart from the painted face, there wasn't that much damage to repair the morning after. Well, except for the fact that it was already past noon and James still wasn't talking to any of them. Remus was right. This was something big.

An old gentleman pushing a food trolley passed by their compartment just then and the boys each suddenly jumped to their feet and started placing their orders. Draco and James were the only exceptions. They met each other's eyes for a very brief second and then James flipped the page of his book dramatically and went on reading (or pretending to, anyway).

Sirius, Remus and Peter each took turns offering Draco some of the stuff they'd bought, but Draco refused each offer. He honestly wasn't hungry. The way that James kept staring at him pretty much guaranteed that he'd never eat again. It got so bad that he felt like a breakdown was surfacing and had to actually excuse himself and step out of the compartment for a bit. Lucky for him, Sirius felt the same.

"Man, I couldn't handle another second in there," he explained when Draco gave him a questioning look as they walked down the corridor. "The tension in that compartment? Screw that. I'm still too drunk to care."

"Hah, for sure," Draco agreed, taking careful breaths to try and calm himself down.

It was crazy. The tiniest little things set him off instantly. He couldn't even recall if this had started in this timeline or in his own. He continued to walk, glancing at every window he passed, where students were laughing and exchanging stories and eating lunch and planning holiday things. Draco looked over his shoulder.

"What was that back there with you and Pomfrey?"

"Oh that," said Sirius. "It's nothing really."

They stopped at the end of the corridor and leaned up against the door, standing side by side with hands in their pockets.

"Basically she's been hooking me up with stressless potion since like...forever..." Sirius mumbled.

Draco frowned. "What for?"

"For when it's time to visit my demented family every holiday season," Sirius said, glancing sideways at him.

Draco mouthed an 'oh' and looked ahead where several students were wandering between compartments or chasing after that old gentleman with the trolley.

"The three vials she gave me help me sleep and keep collected and calm."

"And the red one?"

"It's a hangover cure," Sirius said, grinning at Draco.

Draco thought about this for a minute, looking ahead at two third year Hufflepuffs who were now buying cauldron cakes from that older gentleman. He then glanced back at Sirius.

"You...you're m-medicated?"

"Not so much," Sirius shrugged. "It's no big deal—she's a nurse. It's like...supervised. And it's not like I'm addicted to anything, I've got it under control and Dumbledore knows."

"H-he does?" Draco looked at Sirius incredulously and Sirius nodded.

"Yeah man, there's...there's been plenty incidences over the years and Dumbledore agreed with Pomfrey that stressless potion would help me keep concentrated on more important things like school or whatever."

Draco nodded along, surprised to be hearing this at all. Dumbledore hadn't said anything about this. Not even once.

Suddenly it dawned upon Draco how much there was that he didn't know...how the marauders and everyone else he knew now—Severus, Regulus, everyone—had spent five whole years at Hogwarts without his presence and a lot went down in that time. A lot.

And it was a question as to whether he'd ever know everything.

Sirius suddenly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper that was in the pocket of the sweater he was wearing now, and handed it to Draco. Draco flattened it out as best as he could and frowned as he read,

 _To Black resident (fill name here),_

 _Walburga and Orion have met with several family members and have taken a group vote, deciding that Draco black, the recently discovered descendant currently under the care of Albus Dumbledore, is to be brought to Grimmauld Place for the two week holiday from school, effective immediately. The Black sons Sirius and Regulus are to accompany him on the train to King's Cross where they will be picked up and brought to the manor together. Draco Black is to stay at the manor for the duration of the holidays and will be escorted back to the train to Hogwarts at the end of the two weeks._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The House of Black_

Draco looked up at Sirius.

"This sounds..."

"...like it was written by an idiot?" said Sirius, nodding. "Yep, that's 'cause it was." Draco frowned again. "The house elf...they make him do all their dirty work and he actually enjoys doing it. I'm tellin' you, he's a creep. You'll see for yourself. Anyway, he's a bit of an idiot too. I guess it didn't click for him that the part 'fill name here', means he has to _fill the name_." Draco laughed. "I suppose Regulus got the same letter."

"Mine was a bit different," Draco admitted, pulling his out, but Sirius shoved it away and leaned back against the wall, now pulling his sunglasses back on.

"I don't need that rubbish, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Draco frowned again. It was actually written differently than the boys' were... formally, yes, but not so demandingly. Still though, it made him terrified to his very core. He could only imagine what Orion and Walburga Black must be like, given what Bellatrix was like, but even he was smart enough to know that whatever he imagined, it was probably a hundred times worse.

When they finally returned to the compartment, James was pretending to be asleep again in the corner so the boys silently agreed not to touch him and instead talked about Slughorn's Christmas party. Draco finally read the article, where it detailed carefully that Lukesse Grant was hard at work in plotting some legendary plot for a new story to be co-written with Dumbledore's prodigal son. Frank was not even mentioned in the article once, even though his smiling self was waving at Draco every six seconds now.

The closer they got to King's Cross, the more quiet Sirius got to the point where he wasn't saying anything at all, much like James. He, at least, had a valid reason, whereas James was just being arrogantly unfair and rude. But Draco supposed Sirius was right. He would tell the boys when he was ready, so until then all they could do is wait and stay out of his way.

But soon—sooner than Draco'd hoped—King's Cross could be seen through a distance in the window. And his stomach started to feel weird. And then, the train was coming to a stop. And his head was starting to pound even more. And then, students in the other compartments started making noise as they grabbed their things and squeezed through the corridors and out of the train. The marauders all looked at each other.

"Well, I hope you guys have a happy Christmas!" Peter said.

"Yeah, me too," Remus said, smiling at each of them.

His eyes then landed on James and he lost his smile. The other boys also looked at him. James looked away from them and then took a deep breath and looked back.

"Yeah," he said, avoiding their eyes, "Same goes for me. Have a good break." He stood up and grabbed his things from above the seats. "See you in two weeks." He left.

The others stared after him for a long time. Then, Remus jumped, making Draco's heart practically stop.

"We've gotta go!"

Sirius groaned and helped Draco get the rest of their stuff down. Then, one by one, they exited the compartment and walked down the corridor to the nearest exit and stepped off of the train. Draco's hands were now getting sweaty slightly.

The crowd of parents on the station platform wasn't nearly as big as it always was on the first day of school, but it was still a crowd. And many of them, strangely enough, were looking at him. It often escaped his notice that he was supposedly famous and all because of Dumbledore, so he still found himself a little startled at all the prying eyes. He turned his back on them to face Sirius.

"Regulus agreed to meet us here," he announced.

Sirius nodded and looked around, his sunglasses now back on.

Peter nudged Remus in the elbow and Draco overheard him say, "Won't Sirius get in trouble for wearing that when he gets home?"

"Mind your own business, Wormy, he'll deal with it," Remus responded before he spotted his folks from a distance and waved at them. He then turned to the others.

"Well, make sure you lot write!" he hugged them each in turn and then took his things and hurried away. Draco couldn't see who he went to meet because the platform was still fairly crowded.

He tried to calm himself down again, expecting at any moment to be approached by two scary looking people. But wherever he looked, he couldn't find such people. Instead, he spotted Regulus, approaching them with his own bags and a neutral expression. When he reached them, he set his bags down and stared.

"Wow, you guys look like hell," he observed, looking from Draco to Sirius and then looking Sirius up and down. "Nice outfit."

"Good to see you too, brother," Sirius responded without looking at him. He was too busy glaring at all the people on the platform who couldn't stop watching them. "Great, we're a freak show now. Let's get out of here."

"Oh, there are my parents!" Wormtail said, waving at a pair of strangers not too far from them. He too, hugged each of the boys and then hurried off.

Draco sighed and looked at Regulus.

"So...what do we do now?"

"I saw Savannah and Alistair earlier," Regulus informed Sirius, who only nodded again, his eyes elsewhere. Regulus's eyes travelled down to Sirius's pajama pants with the little broomstick patterns and he raised his eyebrows.

"Who're they?" Draco said, picking up his things and starting to follow Regulus who was now leading them through the crowd.

"Our butlers," Sirius answered behind him. "Yo Reg, go this way. I wanna avoid all these eyes, I think some of them might start asking Draco for his autograph."

Regulus turned instantly around and changed their route. Cameras were now beginning to flash in the distance. Oh this was just great. Draco could only imagine what the headlines would be tomorrow. _After sixteen years, the prodigal son returns._

"What about your parents?" he asked now.

He still kept expecting them to pop out of nowhere and demand to know his secrets.

Sirius laughed, as though the answer were obvious. "They're never at the station."

"We're always escorted by people who work for them," Regulus added. "Or actually, for the family."

"Ah," said Draco, following them through the twists and turns until they finally reached the gateway and crossed together.

"They're there," Regulus announced, pointing across the muggle street at a man and a woman who were standing side by side near a long black muggle car, waiting. Sirius dropped his things at his side and pulled a piece of candy out, now popping it into his mouth and chewing as the boys waited for the light to turn green so they could cross.

"You look awful," Regulus told his brother.

"Yeah," Sirius said without looking at him.

"No seriously," Regulus said. Sirius turned his head. "They won't approve."

"And do I look like I care?"

There was silence.

"You should," Regulus muttered, but Draco doubted Sirius had heard. He was standing in the middle of the two brothers and feeling more awkward than he'd felt back in that compartment with James.

"Sirius," Regulus tried again. "You don't want to do this. Not today."

Sirius sighed, and several moments later, he pulled out Madame Pomfrey's red potion and gulfed the rest of it down. Then, he pulled his headband off and fixed his hair quickly before straightening up and shoving it all back into his bag. Finally, he pulled out his wand, looking around quickly, and casually flicked it so that his pants slowly and coolly faded into a grey, then black colour, shadowing over the little broomstick patterns. Satisfied, he put away his wand and straightened up.

"I'm keeping the shades on though," Sirius muttered, again not audibly enough that Regulus would hear him.

The light finally turned green and the three picked their things up and walked across the street. They stopped in front of the man and the woman by the car, and Regulus stepped forward.

"Good to see you again," he said, handing his bags to the man who was apparently called Alistair.

"Master Regulus," he said, nodding at the boy once. He threw his things into the car and then turned to Sirius who handed him his things without a word and turned away from him, ignoring the "Master Sirius" that he heard back. Draco was next. He walked up to the man slowly and let him take his bags from him. The man eyed him for a moment before bowing to him as well.

"Welcome, Master Draco."

It was an odd sensation, being called that by a grown wizard. He was pretty sure the only time he'd ever heard that in his life was from Dobby, but even then, he was so young.

"Come on," Sirius grumbled, pulling Draco away from Alistair towards the opened car door by which the woman called Savannah was now standing with her hands behind her back and facing onward.

"Good afternoon, masters," she acknowledged.

They each stepped into the car and took their seats, Draco once again in the middle. Savannah closed the door after them and moments later, they were moving. Draco looked around. It was a very long car, indeed. He'd never been in one like it before. Actually, he'd only been in muggle cars maybe a handful of times in his life. It was a rarity. But this car...had an actual lounge inside. They weren't sitting on regular car seats; they were sitting on a frigging couch!

"This..." Draco said, his hands on the cushions next to him as he felt the nice, leathery material, "...isn't your typical muggle car, is it?"

"It's called a limousine," Sirius answered in a monotonous voice, looking bored out of his mind as he rested his forehead in his hand.

"They're more luxurious than regular cars," Regulus explained. "The Blacks take pride in their ability to afford such luxuries."

"Hmm," said Draco, not knowing what else to say. It was kind of fun, riding this way, though he didn't dare admit this out loud...at least not with Sirius sitting next to him.

For most of the car ride, which wasn't too long, they sat in silence, each observing the windows or just sitting quietly. Draco watched the muggles on the streets and wondered about how different their fashion was from his own timeline. Having been stuck at Hogwarts ever since his arrival, he hadn't exactly had the opportunity to go and explore what the rest of the world looked like in 1976.

As they car started to make more turns into secluded, residential areas, and Draco guessed that they might be getting closer to their destination, Regulus turned in his seat to face him.

"Hey Draco, listen," he began, looking all serious, "When we get there, just...be your absolute professional self, okay?"

"Huh?"

It wasn't Draco who'd said it, but Sirius. He was looking at Regulus as though he'd just said something entirely offensive to him.

"I mean, try to be formal," Regulus said, rolling his eyes. "Be as polite and as proper as you possibly can, even though they probably won't hold you to Black standards since you haven't been raised a Black. But because you're a Black by blood, they won't care about that."

"What do you bloody suggest he do then, kiss their arses?" Sirius said.

"Look I'm tryin' to help him, okay?" Regulus snapped back.

"How, by making him worship them like you do?"

"Hey, it works for me."

"Okay you know what—"

"I got it, I got it!" Draco cried out. The boys fell silent. "I'll be pretty much quiet, at least for the first day." He looked round at Regulus. "Being quiet always works." Then at Sirius. "You can't say anything that'll get you into trouble."

"Ha, they won't let you be quiet, they'll be interrogating you senseless," Sirius muttered, disgust written all over his voice. When Draco stared at him, he added, "Listen, don't worry about it. I won't leave you alone for a second so they can't manipulate you into their ways."

"Oh their _ways,_ huh?" said Regulus, but he was thoroughly ignored by Sirius who simply went on.

"And you'll be sleeping in my room for the break so we'll probably spend most of the time in there anyway."

The car suddenly pulled up to the end of the street and came to a stop. Alistair and Savannah opened the doors and the boys got out. Draco meant to fetch his things but Sirius stopped him, and seconds later, he saw that Alistair was taking care of the bags for them, while Savannah was already leading them up to the gate surrounding the rows of houses. It was safe to say that Draco was now thoroughly confused. Malfoy Manor was a grand mansion located on its own estate, not surrounded by any other properties or people—especially muggles. Draco had only but expected the same from the Blacks, if not more extravagant. But now, here, they seemed to be standing on a simple muggle street with simple muggle houses. Savannah did a quick check up and down the street before flicking her wand. Suddenly, a large, shiny looking black door emerged out of nowhere between house numbers eleven and thirteen, followed swiftly by long walls and arch-shaped windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way.

"What..." Draco said, standing in between Regulus and Sirius again (it seemed safe to keep them away from each other).

"We Blacks believe in keeping secluded," Regulus explained. "What better way than to hide by the muggles, just under their noses?"

Draco followed them up the stone steps, glancing at the muggles in the houses on either side. They were completely immune to the fact that their homes had just been shoved aside to make room for a secret house. Draco's eyes fell on the newly materialize door again. Its black paint was shining new, as though freshly painted. There was no keyhole or letterbox. The silver door knocker on the front was in the form of a twisted serpent. Yep, this was a pureblood house alright.

Regulus entered first and Draco followed, stepping over the threshold and into the almost total darkness of the hall. He looked over his shoulder and saw Sirius just behind him, followed by Savannah and Alistair, both of whom were closing the door now. Draco turned back to the front and followed Regulus through the narrow, dimly lit hallway. The wallpaper and the threadbare carpet below matched, both gloomy greys with detailed patterns. A chandelier and candelabra nearby were shaped like serpents and seemed to also be watching Draco as he passed. It was only when they were about halfway through the hallway that Draco realized the vast amount of portraits on the walls, all staring at him too with interest. It startled him—he'd never seen portraits so silent and unwilling to offer any remarks. And walking among them now, he felt as though he was on his way to some initiation ceremony that they were a part of.

The boys stopped at the end of the hallway next to a large umbrella stand that looked as though it had been made from a severed troll's leg. Regulus peeked his head into a room on the right and then another on the left. Finally, he turned to face the others.

"Where are our parents?" he asked over Draco's shoulder.

Savannah and Alistair moved past him with the trunks and started up the dark staircase. Sirius grunted and followed behind Draco who was following Sirius.

"Your parents are not home yet," Alistair declared as they passed a row of shrunken heads mounted on plaques on the wall.

Draco jumped slightly at the sound of pots and pans banging in the room on the left, which he now guessed to be the kitchen. But he never got a glimpse of who was making the ruckus inside because Regulus and the butlers were moving up the staircase and he knew it was best to follow than to stick around and wander. Even though they'd clearly stated that the Black parents weren't home yet, Draco was very anxious to make a first impression.

"They have instructed that you unpack your things and meet in the Dining Room at six o'clock for the welcome feast," Savannah was now saying.

"Did they say where they went?" Regulus asked, moving further up the staircase and disappearing at the top of the landing with the two butlers.

Draco would have sped up, were it not for his curiosity in those shrunken heads on the walls. A closer look showed him that the heads belonged to house-elves. All of them had the same, rather snout-like nose. Draco smiled to himself. He hadn't seen anything close to this since the summer of his fourth year, when he, Crabbe and Goyle had walked into Borgin's shop in Knockturn Alley to browse for some things for his room.

"Come on," Sirius urged behind him.

Draco snapped out of his daze and hurried up the stairs, with Sirius at his heels. He glanced up at the crystal chandeliers above him as he walked, finally reaching the landing at the top and looking around at all the closed doors with different names on silver plaques.

"Here," Sirius said, moving past Draco and taking the lead. They walked to the door at the very end, and one glance at the silver plaque told Draco that it was Sirius's bedroom.

Sirius shut the door behind them and threw his bags onto the large bed at the end of the fairly spacious room. Draco let his bags fall to his sides and looked around, his mouth slightly open. The bed had a carved headboard with some strange circular squiggly hairy thing hanging above the pillows. There was a tall window on the other side with long velvet curtains. Candle chandeliers hung in two corners of the ceiling. The walls of the entire room were completely covered with pictures—so many pictures—that it was barely possible to even see the wallpaper beneath them. Draco slowly walked towards one of the walls, examining the pictures plastered to them. Sirius had so many pictures of random things. Pictures of places Draco had never been to. Pictures of strange looking vehicles that Draco'd only seen muggles ride. Pictures of pretty muggle girls in bikinis. There were Gryffindor banners and colours all over the spacious room. Even the bedspread and blanket things were red.

"So..." Sirius said, standing in the middle of the room with his hands in his pockets, biting his lip. "What do you think?"

Draco stopped before a photograph that was on the wall just next to a dresser. It was the four marauders, maybe at 12 or 13, sitting on the Entrance Hall steps, all of them with their elbows on their knees. James and Sirius were in the middle and Remus and Peter on either side of them. None of them were smiling when the flash of the camera went off, but a few seconds prior to it, James elbowed Sirius about something funny and the other two boys smiled at them. Draco turned to look at present-day Sirius.

"When was this?"

"First year," Sirius answered without even checking what Draco was examining.

Draco raised his eyebrows and looked back at the photograph. "Really?"

"We knew back then that we'd be friends for life so we figured a picture was in order," Sirius went on, now sitting on his bed and taking his scarf off. "I have more pictures somewhere."

Draco nodded, turning to examine the next wall, where more of those weird muggle cars were plastered.

"What's with the obsession?" he asked, eyeing the fancy looking wheels and what looked like genuine black leather.

"They're called motorcycles," Sirius said from his bed, his glasses now off. "Muggle rock stars are known for riding them."

Draco spun round to look at him. "You'd like to own one someday?"

Sirius shrugged, looking down at his lap. Draco looked back at the pictures and bit his own lip. "They look pretty cool I guess."

"It's just somethin' stupid," he heard Sirius mutter, but he was now preoccupied with something even more interesting. His finger had run one of the posters he'd been examining and he suddenly noticed that none of them—not a single one—were taped to the walls. He tried to pull one off but it remained stuck, as if painted into the wallpaper itself. Draco turned to give Sirius a questioning look. Sirius shrugged again.

"You can never be too careful."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you never know just who's gonna wander into your room when you're not there."

Draco turned back around and narrowed his eyes at what he could see of the wallpaper between some of the photographs. It looked to be a dull grey with bits of green peeking out from various corners. Draco understood completely now. Sirius had gone to such drastic measures as putting a permanent sticking charm on his posters so that his family wouldn't have even the chance to make him into something he clearly was not. Draco looked round at his friend again.

"This is the only place here that's really mine," Sirius explained softly. "I'm not giving that up easily."

"But couldn't they just..." said Draco, turning awkwardly around the room, "I mean, if they're the bosses and you're...well..."

"This house is bound by ancient magic that's traditional more than anything else," Sirius said, leaning back slightly on the bed and looking around his own room with somewhat of pride. "Before I was born, this room belonged to another Sirius Black...someone who I never met...someone who's long since dead." He paused, turning his head to look at Draco again. "As long as I'm alive, this room belongs to me and no one can ever kick me out of it or claim it theirs. Even if I committed the most treacherous of crimes against my family, I would still be entitled to everything I inherit when they go because it's bound by traditional magic and ancient laws." He sat up now, looking at his lap again. "So if what you're really asking is why they haven't locked me up in the dungeon or something by now, seeing as how I'm such a disappointment, then the answer is, they'd love to." He looked up at Draco again. "Believe me, they would. But they can't."

Draco's eyes fell upon some of the books Sirius had piled on his dresser and his table. The titles were very him. Some were about Quidditch, others were about how to defend yourself from the dark arts. There were muggle books about learning how to drive. There were collage books full of tattoo designs. There were even some books on finance and how to be smart about investing. Draco looked back at his friend and offered a smile.

"What?" said Sirius, puzzled.

"This room is incredible," said Draco.

Sirius smiled back.

They spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking their things. At around half past four, there was a soft knock to the door. Sirius flicked his wand once without even looking at it and Regulus walked in.

"I keep forgetting that you're, you know, of age and stuff," he mumbled, doing a sort of double take when he spotted the picture of the blonde bikini model on the right of Sirius's bed. Regulus pointed at it and turned to his brother. "Newest addition?"

"She's a new face in New York," Sirius said, shrugging.

"New York?" said Draco and Regulus together.

Sirius sighed. "It's this place way out in America. It's pretty incredible actually." He paused in the middle of folding a shirt. "I'll be heading out there someday."

"Sirius wants to travel the entire world in this lifetime," Regulus told Draco quietly.

"And why not?" Sirius snapped, turning back. "I'm a wizard after all. Our lifetimes are much longer than muggles'."

"Sure," said Regulus, rolling his eyes and glancing at a Gryffindor banner before looking at Draco. "Our cooks want to know if there is anything you're not allowed to eat."

Draco glanced at Sirius before answering, "Um...no, I think I'm good."

"They're preparing a feast for tonight," Regulus explained. "It's a pretty big deal actually."

"Yeah I can imagine," Draco said. "Is there, uh, anything I should expect beforehand?"

Regulus thought for a minute. "Our parents always sit on opposite ends. Sirius and I sit side by side and you'll probably sit across from us because that's where the guest usually sits." He paused. "Unless it's a party, in which case they lengthen the table and then everyone sits everywhere, except our parents. They still sit on opposite sides."

"A-and the dinner conversation?" said Draco.

Regulus shrugged. "Nah, there's no way of telling how it'll go, even for me. My best guess is that they'll be asking you a lot of questions. It's only natural, you know." Draco nodded. "They might even ask you stuff about Dumbledore."

"Like...like what?" said Draco, snapping his head up to look at Sirius and then at Regulus, a worried look on his face. He hadn't even thought that this would be a possibility.

"Well, you've gotta admit it's very odd that you've been raised by him just like that," Regulus said, slowly. "Don't worry about it, man. It'll all be fine! I mean, I'm sure—"

"GET OUT."

Draco and Regulus both spun around just in time to see Sirius storming at the door with both his hands clenched into fists. Regulus had left the door open, and at the edge of it, now stood the cleanest, best dressed elf that Draco had ever seen. He stared at it with wide shock as Sirius approached the animal.

"Get the fuck out," he told it, his teeth clenched.

"Kreacher has been ordered by Mistress Walburga to notify the Black boys that she and Master Orion are back," the elf said, its eyes closed, its head raised, and both its hands behind its back.

Draco stared at the thing, not understanding. There was no filthy rag or cloth covering the elf's body. It looked like an elf alright—its fleshy nose was large and rather snoutlike, and its ears were pointed and eyes round and large—but it was dressed more like a small person. Draco could have sworn that if it wasn't for his perfect memory and the fact that Regulus had once told him they owned a house elf named Kreacher, he would have mistaken him for a goblin right now. The elf was wearing a perfectly-tailored black suit with a gray tie around its neck and white collars at its elbows. Its shoes were black and perfectly polished, and though its face was ugly, it was inexplicably clean.

The elf opened its eyes and looked at Draco. Draco stepped back once. The elf eyed him for several long seconds and then, without warning, bowed down before him.

"Kreacher welcomes the new master to the Black Family Home," it muttered, its nose hitting the floor as it bowed.

"Get out..." Sirius repeated, "...before I beat you out."

"Sirius, don't," Regulus said, but Sirius ignored him and continued to glare at the elf.

"Last chance, Kreacher."

The elf gave Sirius the dirtiest look anyone's ever given anyone before, and then turned on its heel and stepped away from the room. Draco stared after it, still unable to say anything. Sirius sighed and turned back around.

"Sorry about that," he said to Draco. "He usually knows to keep out but every once in a while, it escapes his mind and I have to refresh his memory."

"You give yourself unnecessary stress, Sirius," Regulus declared simply. "Kreacher doesn't bring anyone any harm."

"Yeah?" said Sirius. "Keep him in your room then."

He turned away from him and resumed his post at unfolding his clothes. Regulus sighed, shook his head at Draco and left. Draco, still unable to say anything, stared at the place where Kreacher the elf had stood.

"Something wrong?" Sirius said, noticing Draco's silence.

Draco continued to stare at it. That thing...whatever that was that had just been in the room moments ago…was nothing like any house elf Draco'd ever seen. It was certainly unlike Dobby, and even that alone messed Draco's mind up so much, because both families were well respected purebloods, so it didn't make any sense. Draco himself used to abuse Dobby just for the fun of it, but here, Kreacher was dressed respectably and adored by Regulus, who was one of his _masters._ Here, _Sirius_ was the one doing the abusing...out of all people.

"Draco," Sirius said now, trying to get his attention.

Draco looked at him and Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"How come the elf's got clothes?" he managed to say, throat feeling very tight.

Sirius looked away. "My parents' idea."

"But...wouldn't that make him..." said Draco, slowly sitting back down on the bed.

Sirius shook his head. "They instructed some of our other servants to make and provide the clothes for him and they gave them the message that he was permitted to, or rather required, to wear them at all times as part of his job uniform." Sirius looked at Draco. "So he never actually got clothes from any of his masters. They were passed to him by people who work for his masters."

"Ah," said Draco, looking back at the door. "Nice loophole then."

"Yeah," Sirius muttered. "We the Blacks have to be served by servants who are also considered royalty." He scoffed and tossed one of his shirts onto his dresser. "What a tragedy it would be if our slaves looked like slaves."

Draco said nothing but continued to unpack until he was done, all the while thinking silently about what the marauders would say to him if he ever got around to telling them that there was this elf whose name was Dobby who Draco used to adore ordering around and abusing just as Sirius abused Kreacher. Maybe they'd understand. After all, Sirius was no saint here either. And besides, that's what the elves were for anyway. Anyone who thought otherwise was an idiot.

At ten minutes to six, Sirius told Draco to put his best clothes on. He thought for a minute and then thanked Merlin seven times that he'd thought to pack one of the nice looking dress robes that Dumbledore had supplied him with. He pulled that on and combed through his hair while Sirius dressed in nice looking clothes as well. Draco could've sworn they were headed for another Slug party and he felt unnatural wearing this here. He'd never been forced to dress well at home growing up. It had always been a choice.

"Okay," Sirius said, patting Draco once on the back. "Let's go."

Draco glanced at the watch on Sirius's table. 5:58. He took a deep breath. He could do this. He'd been face to face with Lord Voldemort. He'd already faced the worst. And this wasn't going to be any scarier than that had been.

They met Regulus at the landing, who was also dressed for the occasion, and headed down the stairs together, with Regulus taking the lead of course. They turned at the bottom of the stairs and filed into a large dining room with a long table at the center and tall chairs surrounding it. Sirius prompted Draco to sit in a specific spot and he did so immediately, neverminding the fact that he couldn't remember the last time he'd been this nervous about something. Sirius and Regulus sat side by side across from him, just as Regulus had said they would. The other seats were empty and the three of them just sat there, listening to the ticking of a clock somewhere and staring at their empty plates and goblets and silvery china already set perfectly at the table. Draco eyed the plates carefully. Each bore something that looked like a crest and the words _Toujours Pur._ Draco didn't bother asking about either at this moment. The sound of a door opening made his heart stop and his head snapped up. Regulus and Sirius both got to their feet, their heads kept down. Draco brought himself to his feet too and mirrored their actions, not knowing what to expect and afraid to look at the two people who had now appeared at the doors through which the boys had first entered. Footsteps neared and the two people took their places at either side of the table. The boys all sat down. The only sound in the room was that of the clock chiming six o'clock throughout the grand house.

* * *

"It is pronounced like Draco, is that correct?" said Walburga, who looked to be a much older version than Bellatrix from the original timeline. Her hair was also a bunch of black curls flowing down her shoulders, but her face was scary and stricter looking than that of McGonagall's.

"Yes ma'am," Draco said, clearing his throat.

"Will you be having wine tonight, Draco?" Orion asked from the other side. Draco chanced a glance at him. The man had long dark hair like Sirius and Regulus which told Draco that it was a family tradition for the boys. His face too, was quite scary looking and his fingers were crossed on the table in front of him. His head was raised as he eyed Draco with his black eyes and perplexing expression.

"N-no sir," Draco responded, looking back at the plate before him.

The moment that the Black parents had taken their seats at the table, colourful food appeared at every inch from every corner, filling plates and bowls and goblets. But even now, Draco was finding it immensely difficult to lift his fork and take a single bite. He wasn't even sure which fork to begin with—there were at least eight different ones lined up on the side of his plate, ascending in size.

"How have you found your stay at Hogwarts thus far?" Orion asked without addressing Draco personally.

Draco looked up to find him watching him intently. He took a deep breath.

"Fine, thank you."

Orion tilted his head at him now, examining Draco from head to toe. Neither of the Black parents reminded Draco of his own parents one bit. They were different. Pureblood, yes. Strict, definitely. And they knew their place oh so well. But sitting here in their presence, Draco felt as though he was dining with the very two people who'd created the idea of pureblood. He was so afraid to say the wrong thing that his hands were slightly shaking.

"You do not know much of us?" Orion now said.

Draco glanced at Sirius briefly before answering, "No sir, I do not."

"Well then we shall inform you," Walburga chimed in. Draco turned to look at her and she offered a cold smile. "Better you hear it from the honest ones than from the liars, don't you think?"

An awkward moment of silence ensued, during which Draco glanced at Sirius again, wishing he could get him out of this pressure.

"Yes ma'am, I do," Draco said instead.

Walburga set down her knife and fork and leaned back in her chair. "This house belongs to any person of Black blood. Any one at all." She paused and Draco nodded his head slowly. "There are eight bedrooms on every floor—you will get a tour once you are more acquainted." Draco nodded again. "Some bedrooms in the house belong to specific people. Some are there for temporary guests." She tilted her head at him and Draco shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He felt like they were both examining him like a fresh piece of meat. "The servants that we have employed here are bound by magic to do anything any one of us requests."

"It is impossible for them to deny a request made by someone of true Black blood," Orion added, now pulling out of his chair and getting to his feet. "Kreacher!"

"My niece Bellatrix has told me so much about you, Draco," Walburga continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.

Draco glanced at Sirius now, who looked to be slightly nervous.

"But she didn't mention just how little you resemble any of us," Walburga finished.

Draco's eyes shot back to her and his heart quickened significantly. Kreacher the house elf stepped into the room in his ridiculous tailored suit and bowed low before Orion.

"Master Orion has requested Kreacher's presence," it said in its repulsive voice.

Orion flipped his long black cloak to the side as he turned to look at Draco.

"Allow us to demonstrate," he said before turning back to the elf. He cleared his throat. "Bow down to me again, Kreacher."

The elf mirrored his actions from before and did not straighten back up until Orion told him to. Pleased, Orion turned to Walburga.

"I'd like more wine, Kreacher," she said from her seat.

Kreacher snapped his fingers and seconds later, Walburga had a goblet full of crimson red wine in her long fingers. She sipped it once and smiled at Regulus, who turned in his seat to look at Kreacher.

"I'm cold, Kreacher."

The elf snapped its fingers again and the fireplace in the corner came to life at once, warming up the large room and making Draco feel slightly better. But now, all three Blacks were looking at Sirius and Draco finally understood what was coming up. He could hear his heart beating in his ears now for how loud it was and his fingers were frozen on the table, unable to hold any cutlery.

"Sirius," Orion said, trying to get his son's attention.

Sirius, whose eyes had been on Draco, now turned to look at his father.

"Demonstrate for Draco," Orion instructed.

Sirius glared at his father and then looked down at the house elf.

"Kill yourself, Kreacher."

It happened very quickly. The elf had flown towards one of the silvery knives on the table but Orion's wand was out in seconds and he was yelling _Finite Incantatum_ at the same time that Walburga yelled _Petrificus Totalus._ The elf froze at once, falling over on its back to the carpeted floor. Regulus's hands had flown to his mouth to stop himself screaming and Walburga's bloodshot eyes were glaring at her eldest son. Draco, who hadn't understood what had just happened, had his mouth open and was still frozen in his seat.

"Sorry mummy," said Sirius, with every bit of sarcasm he could muster, his eyes on his plate, "But I refuse to be a part of this sick little game wherein you try to prove that Draco is of Black blood." The adults exchanged a look and Regulus turned in his seat to stare at his brother. Sirius looked up at his father. "He is a member of the family—he doesn't need to boss around the elf to prove that to you!"

"Albus Dumbledore giving this boy our name does not prove anything," Walburga stated. She and Orion both turned to look at Draco again expectedly.

Orion waved his wand again and brought Kreacher to his feet, unfrozen and well. The elf met Draco's eyes and silence ensued upon the room. Draco looked at Sirius worriedly and then at the elf. He should've known that the first thing they would do is put him to the test to prove his identity. Hell, _Dumbledore_ should have known this and _Dumbledore_ should have prepared him for this. Draco shut his eyes, hoping—wishing—he could make himself disappear forever and never look back. When he opened his eyes he found all family members watching him expectedly. His eyes fell upon Kreacher again.

"Leave," he found himself saying.

All eyes turned back to Kreacher, as though this was some legendary experiment that would be in the papers tomorrow. The elf hesitated for a brief second, bowed low before Draco and then turned on its heel and exited the room, closing the door behind him. Orion turned back to Draco.

"Welcome to the family," he said, his head tilting again and a curious smile crossing his face, "Draco Black."

* * *

"What the _bloody hell_ was that?!" Regulus shouted when they were back in Sirius's room after dinner. "Do you realize what you could have done?!"

"I just got _mad,"_ Sirius said, sitting back on his bed. "It's not that—"

"It's a _huge_ deal," Regulus shot back at him. "It is not even about the fact that that house elf is gonna be _mine_ and that you nearly _killed him._ Your actions back there reflected badly on Draco too, _not just you!"_

"Wait how?" Draco said, but he was ignored by the two brothers.

"I am not gonna sit here and let those two _sadists_ back there turn him into something he's not," Sirius declared. "I don't care if you've given in to it—I won't let him to."

"Guys..."

"It may have escaped your notice, brother," said Regulus, his voice now calmer as he approached Sirius, ignoring Draco in the corner, "But that's not your decision to make."

"Yeah?" said Sirius, getting to his feet. "We'll see about that."

Regulus turned his back on Sirius and his eyes fell on Draco. "Come on, I'll escort you to your room."

"Um no," said Sirius, hopping off his bed and approaching the two boys. "He is staying here."

"You heard what they said," Regulus told him. "He is to stay in the room that they have provided for him."

"That room is an entire floor below us," said Sirius angrily. "It's on _their_ fucking floor!"

"Hey, I didn't make the rules."

"Yeah well you're sure as hell being cooperative!"

"GUYS, STOP!" Draco suddenly shouted, having finally found his voice after that abysmal dinner back there.

The two boys looked at him.

"I..." said Draco, unable to make out the words, "I'll s-stay here tonight, okay? Just...please, _stop."_

Sirius turned back to his brother and Regulus gave him a dark look before muttering "Goodnight, Draco," and exiting the room. Sirius waved his wand over the closed door several times before turning to look back at Draco, who was leaning against his dresser with his eyes on the hardwood floors.

"You know, uh," said Sirius, stepping away from the door, "Remus told me not to feed you too many tales of my experiences growing up here so that you wouldn't have a biased opinion of this family."

"When did he tell you that?"

"A few days ago."

Draco nodded, his eyes back on the floors.

He had seriously dodged an enormous bullet back there with the elf. He didn't understand how it could be that the elf would obey him. True, he technically was of Black blood but...not fully, no. He was more half a Black. But then again, his mother had never taken the time to explain family history to him before. If he hadn't even known that she'd had another sister, an _older_ sister than Bellatrix, who knew what else she'd hidden from him?

"Look," said Sirius, stepping towards him again, "I know it was weird back there. I just...It took me a long time to accept what happened to Regulus and how deep he got in. I don't want to see that happen to you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if it did."

"Well I can think for myself so you needn't worry," Draco mumbled. "They...they didn't ask me many questions tonight."

"They will tomorrow, trust me," Sirius mumbled. He paused. "You know I thought Regulus could think for himself too." Draco looked up at him. "But I was very wrong."

Draco looked away, thought for a minute, and then turned back to his friend.

"What happened back there with the elf?"

Sirius frowned.

"I still don't understand," Draco added. "It happened so quickly, I..."

"The elf was going to kill himself with the knife, just like I'd instructed him to," Sirius explained. "What our parents said about power in the family was true. Any Black can order Kreacher around, but only they, the ones with the highest power, can overpower any request made by any other Black." He paused. "It's not the first time I've done that, you know."

"You really wanted to kill the elf?"

"Nah," said Sirius, turning back to his bed and collapsing on it. "I just wanted to show them up—they never let it happen anyway."

Draco nodded slowly. He then put his face in his hands and breathed deeply for several long minutes. When he looked back up, he found Sirius sitting on his bed, staring at him.

"Believe me," he said now, "Them inviting you here for these two weeks…it's as big a shock to me as it is to you. And if I had my way, I wouldn't have let you come here and be exposed to this so soon."

Draco looked away and his eyes fell on the large window with the drawn curtains. To think, that his biggest worry earlier that day had been why James was acting so weird…

He looked back at Sirius.

"I'm tired," he said.

"Let's go to sleep then," said Sirius, hopping off the bed and getting his pajamas out. "Tomorrow's gonna be too long a fucking day."

Draco's eyes fell on that squiggly circular hairy thing above Sirius's pillows again and Sirius followed his silent gaze.

"Oh, that...it's called a dream catcher. I got it from some muggle long ago. It's supposed to catch bad dreams and, well...let's just say that when I'm here, I need all the help I can get."

Sirius unfolded some more clothes and continued to shift around the room, grabbing things and moving them places.

"Hey, uh, Sirius?" said Draco, still not moving from his spot by the dresser. Sirius turned to look at him. "Do you mind if I...grab a bit of that...stressless potion...for tonight?"

* * *

 **Next chapter will be a special, late in honouring Easter.**

 **Expect loads of drama.**

 **As for the perspective? Stay tuned...**


	29. Holiday Special III

**A message from Hplover4ever3: I feel as though this chapter is the most accurate depiction I can possibly present for an event that we only heard about but never got to see in canon. I only hope I have done justice and did not disappoint. **

**DaOneInDaCorner, this chapter is dedicated entirely to you. The words 'thank you' are not enough. You are my co-author, my motivation, and my guardian angel. There never comes a day that I regret starting this beautiful project with you.**

 **So, readers, without further ado, I present an all-Sirius Black-perspective. Happy late Easter and enjoy..**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 29: HOLIDAY SPECIAL III

It was as soon as he'd opened his eyes that morning that he realized something was off. He didn't even need to turn in bed to see that his friend was missing. The shrill sound of the grand clock in the sitting room ringing throughout the house told him enough. It was noon, and Draco was not with him.

Sirius forced himself out of bed in a panic and threw on the first sweatshirt he could find, scattered somewhere on his dresser. He pocketed his wand and flew to the door as fast as his legs would take him. Soon, he had Kreacher up against a wall with his fingers wrapped tightly around the elf's little neck as it choked and gasped for air.

"Where is he?" Sirius muttered through gritted teeth, not once caring that the elf's face was changing many colours before his eyes now.

"Gah...mer...ik...chen..."

Sirius let go of Kreacher's throat and the elf dropped to the floor, gasping.

"Kitchen," Sirius repeated. "You're sure?"

"Yes, Master Sirius," the elf managed to choke out, but Sirius ignored him and was already halfway down the stairs. Second floor...then first...he sped and nearly tripped several times, finally bursting through the double doors at the end of the narrow hallway leading to the basement kitchen. He blurted out "Draco, you alright?" as soon as the doors flew open. Draco and Regulus looked up from the long table in alarm. The three cooks beside them froze.

"Y-yeah," Draco said, staring at Sirius with confusion. "Why...why wouldn't I be?"

Sirius glanced at the three cooks on the side, all of whom now put whatever pots or pans they'd had in their hands on the table and lined up straight, bowing before Sirius.

"Master Sirius," the oldest of the three acknowledged.

Sirius ignored him and looked at Draco again. He was sitting cross-legged at the table, dressed and clean. Regulus had apparently been showing him some book when Sirius had entered. Sirius cleared his throat awkwardly.

"How, uh, how long have you been up?"

"Since eight," Regulus answered before Draco could say anything. Sirius glanced at his brother. "We ate with mother and father before they left."

"And no one thought to wake me," Sirius said. It wasn't a question. It was a fact. They never thought to wake him. He was always that one thing no one ever considered when it came to the Blacks.

"Great," he added, moving to take a seat across from them. His eyes on the table in front of him, he said, "Coffee, Katherine."

Katherine bowed once and waved her wand, summoning a steaming cup of coffee, black, just like Sirius liked it. He took the cup in his hands and nodded his thanks to her before taking a sip.

Regulus cleared his throat, putting the book away. "So, um...Draco and I were thinking of going down to the market later and getting fitted for new dress robes at that little antique shop in the corner."

Sirius looked up at Regulus. "What the fuck are you talking about? What for?"

Regulus raised an eyebrow and gestured at the two creamy white envelopes lying before him and Draco, which Sirius had failed to notice before. He looked down at them now with a perplexed expression, coffee still in hand. He read the miniscule writing upside down and suddenly it dawned upon him. He looked up at Regulus.

 _"Again?"_

"You say that like it's always the same people getting married," Regulus said, smiling slightly. "Our family is quite big, Sirius. Get used to it."

 _Unlikely,_ thought Sirius, his eyes now falling on the envelope in front of Draco, which seemed to be sealed shut.

"You also got invited?"

Draco nodded and looked down at the envelope. "Your parents said it'll be a perfect opportunity for me to get to know the rest of your...uh, I mean _our_ relatives."

"Swell," Sirius said, sipping his coffee.

"I'm looking forward to it actually," Draco added. Sirius glanced back up at him incredulously, and Draco let out a nervous laugh. "They're right, though, it'll give me a chance to meet everyone."

"Mother told him a bit about some of our relatives at breakfast," Regulus explained.

"And you wanna meet them, do you?" Sirius told Draco, who shrugged.

"I'm a Black anyway, I might as well know everybody if I'm gonna play the part."

Sirius scoffed and sipped his coffee again.

"Is there anything else Masters would like?" Lionel asked, now bowing before the boys at the end of the long table.

Sirius rolled his eyes. That Lionel was always such a kissass.

"You know, I'd fancy some more of that vanilla bun thing you served earlier," Draco said, turning in his seat and smiling at Lionel as though they were childhood friends. "It was epic."

"I am glad it was of enjoyment for you," Lionel answered, bowing again and fetching a plate full of buns in an instant.

Sirius continued to stare at Draco who smiled at Lionel and took one of the buns. It was then that Sirius realized just how different Draco looked. He was dressed very carefully, even though his clothes weren't new or polished or anything. His hair was pushed back and not messy at all. His face was insanely clean and he didn't look tired one bit, whereas Sirius knew that he himself looked like death. His hair was falling carelessly at his shoulders, his eyes were sunken and slightly red and he felt like he hadn't slept in years...one of the many great effects of Madame Pomfrey's cure-for-all stressless potion. He sipped his coffee again.

Regulus ate a bun too and started laughing with Draco over something that had happened earlier that morning with one of the servants in the sitting room and how apparently it was so epic and they still couldn't believe it had happened. Sirius looked up from his coffee again and narrowed his eyes at Regulus. He was wearing one of his best suits, was also very clean, and had his hair tied back in a braid, much like their father always did. That's why he looked so different that morning. Never, in all fifteen years that he'd been alive, had he ever done that with his hair before. And seeing him do it now made Sirius feel sick in his stomach.

"It's gonna be great anyway," Regulus concluded, finishing the last vanilla bun and sitting back in his chair.

Draco shrugged. "I dunno, I don't really care much for weddings. But I guess it's something to look forward to." He paused and looked down at his own, unopened invitation. "When is it anyway?"

"Next Tuesday," Regulus answered without checking twice.

"How exciting," Sirius muttered without looking at the pair of them. "I can hardly wait."

He knew exactly how it would play out. He'd been to these weddings too many times before, and every single one was worse than the last. All their precious relatives marvelled at how well Regulus was doing or how proud they were or how everyday he grew more and more like his father. And then, when they finally remembered that Regulus had an older brother, they started asking him if he was still in counselling and how his therapy was going. His parents had thought it wise to tell their relatives tales of how Sirius was handling his 'differences' well and with maturity. Well, at least they'd never tried actually putting him in therapy, so there was that.

"You _should_ be excited," Regulus now said, catching Sirius off guard. "Our cousins are gonna be there, we haven't met up in a while."

"The cousins are really somethin'," Sirius muttered, his eyes on his nearly empty coffee cup.

"There will be drinks most likely," Draco said.

Sirius looked up to find him grinning. _Now_ he was talking like the Draco that Sirius knew.

When Sirius finished his coffee, Regulus insisted on continuing the oh so epic tour of their grand home. According to him, Draco had so far only seen the third floor and the two boys' bedrooms. They were now up to the second floor working their way down, and Sirius insisted on accompanying them, even though he knew he'd rather do just about anything than tour the house he so despised. But he had promised himself, and he intended on keeping the promise—he wasn't going to leave Draco alone in this house _with anyone_ for even a second.

On the whole, Draco seemed pretty intrigued with the tour, though Sirius couldn't imagine why. He listened intently as Regulus outlined various objects and different rooms throughout the house. He even asked questions. A lot. Sirius almost started to think Draco _wanted_ to learn about their family. He, on the other hand, kept the same position in every room they entered—arms folded in front of him and head leaning back against the wall, waiting for it to be over. After just the third room, he began chewing this muggle chewing gum thing and blowing bubbles with it to pass off the boring hours. Neither boy paid much attention to him.

"But wouldn't it be easy for the muggles to find you?" Draco asked once they left the fourth room on the second floor and started for the end of the corridor back to the first floor. "Wouldn't it take just one simple phone call to some official place and then a bit investigating for them to realize that they numbered the houses wrong or that house twelve is missing?"

"Father put every security measure known to wizardkind on this house," Regulus explained, leading the way. "It's also unplottable, so muggles can never come or call. They have no idea it exists."

"Hah," said Draco, following him into the drawing room at the end of the corridor. Sirius rolled his eyes and walked in with them.

They stopped in the middle of the room and Draco looked around, his mouth hanging slightly open as he examined the tapestry on the wall with the shiny golden thread embroidered like a sprawling family tree dating back to the very Middle Ages.

"Holy..." he said, moving closer to examine the details of the tapestry. "This is...wow..."

Sirius scowled at the cursive golden letters scribbled on the top of the tapestry— **The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black** —and moved to the opposite wall to assume his position, his eyes falling on the windows with the street view. It had been a while since he'd been back in this room. He never went there because he couldn't care less whom he was associated to, and that was the very reason this room existed. The names on the walls...the glorious connections...the whole lot of them were people he would leave behind and never look back. Except for Andromeda, of course. Come to think of it, there was a slight possibility that she would be at this Black wedding next week. Maybe it'd be worth it to go and see her. See how she was doing. His eyes fell on her name on the tapestry, just above Bellatrix and Narcissa, and he smiled. It _had_ been too long.

"Why _'Toujours Pur_ '?" Draco was now saying, gesturing at the small letters written underneath the tapestry title. "I saw it on some of the plates earlier too."

"It's the Black Family Motto," Regulus said. "It's also on our crest. It's the saying that identifies us as Blacks. If you are a Black, you know the motto. And all wizardkind know this notion too."

"What's it mean?" Draco wondered, looking up at the tapestry again with interest.

"Always pure," Sirius answered from his corner. Both boys turned to look at him and he laid his eyes on Draco with somewhat sarcasm. "Meaning if you're a Black, you're forever pure and never less."

"Oh," said Draco, turning back to the tapestry as if this meant nothing. Sirius frowned slightly but said nothing as his friend continued to eye the names. "Who's this guy?"

"Uncle Alphard," Regulus said, looking at where Draco was pointing at one of the higher names on the tapestry. "He's a really smart guy and he's always been nice to _us_ especially. I personally think it's just to put mother in her place. She and father don't like him very much. They disagree with him over many things."

"Who is he to them?" said Draco.

"Mother's younger brother," said Regulus. "She used to be quite fond of him when they were kids, she tells me, but then he stopped listening to her after he became a teenager and then he went off on his own for a while and came back and just wouldn't stop arguing with her." Regulus frowned. "He said he'd had enough of her bossing him around their whole lives. I don't reckon they've spoken in years now."

"Hmm," said Draco, moving along the wall to examine other names. Sirius's eyes moved back to the windows and he started to wonder how come he'd never tried these ones as an escape route for a change. He'd always gone for the ones in the upstairs guest bedroom on the left, and they were a lot harder to climb down from. But now that he was of age, he didn't need to worry about that sort of rubbish. A simple transformation ought to do the trick. But still...he could've saved himself so much trouble all these years if he'd just thought to maybe try _these_ windows. They led right to the muggle streets and they weren't even a far climb down!

"There's like four Siriuses on here, which one are you?" Draco said, snapping Sirius's attention back to him.

"Hmm?" he said, lifting himself slightly from the wall.

"Right down here," Regulus answered, pointing at Sirius's place on the tapestry, right at the bottom of the tree. "And I'm here next to him, see?"

"Why're you guys so down?" said Draco.

"Because we're the youngest Blacks alive today," said Regulus. "When we reproduce, the tree will grow stems and our children's names will be added along here and just right there, see?"

"Oh," said Draco again. He then frowned and looked around the room. "It's so empty, is it just meant for the tapestry?"

Sirius looked around as well. It was true. As long as he'd lived in this house, he'd never seen any furniture in this particular room, though he'd often wondered if it had once been a Black's bedroom, since there were windows.

"...but we hardly go in here..." Regulus was now saying. "But these are the people you'll probably see at the wedding next week." He pointed at a corner of the tree. "They're almost always at the weddings. And I'm really excited for you to see her again...she's one of my favourites. And her sister will probably be there too. Hmm, you kind of look like her too so maybe it's possible that you're from _that_ line of the Blacks and not ours specifically. Mother seems to think so, anyway."

Draco nodded silently and observed where the name _Narcissa_ was outlined beautifully just next to Bellatrix. Sirius scoffed. He'd hardly call _them_ his favourite cousins, and Andy would agree.

"Bellatrix will be there?" Draco said, his eyes still on the name _Narcissa._

"Oh for sure," Regulus said. "She loves the weddings. I'm not sure if Narcissa will be...probably. Or at least, I hope she will. I haven't seen her in ages."

"Yeah," said Draco.

"And their older sister Andromeda," Regulus added, pausing. "She's nice too I guess. I don't know if she'll be there though."

"She's brilliant," Sirius spoke up, catching the boys' attention again. Draco finally turned away from the tapestry to look at him. "She's brilliant and if she's not there next week then it's because she's a smart girl."

Draco nodded slowly, a puzzled expression on his face. He turned to Regulus.

"You said your mother thinks I'm from that line of Blacks?" Regulus nodded. "When did you talk to her?"

Sirius frowned at his brother. Indeed, when?

"Well," said Regulus, looking from one boy to the other with a nervous smile. "You guys went to sleep pretty early last night..."

"And?" said Sirius, moving away from the wall. "What, you guys got together again in the kitchen to discuss that hateful dinner?"

"No," Regulus tried, "I just...well I mean, mother had some insightful things to...to say..."

"Yeah, like what?" Sirius said, approaching his brother with both hands clenched into fists, ready to punch at moment's notice.

Draco moved quickly to stand somewhat in the way and turned to Regulus.

"What'd she say, Reg?"

"Yeah Reg, what'd she say?" Sirius repeated in a tone full of mockery which Draco ignored.

Regulus glanced once at Sirius before answering Draco, "She seems to think that the reason you're missing from this tree is because you're an unclaimed Black."

"A what?" said Sirius and Draco together.

"An unclaimed Black," Regulus repeated. "You were never claimed by a Black. You...you were abandoned..."

"So what?" Sirius shot at him. "Our family has had its fair share of whores with bastard children. Not a single one of them is on here, even though they're all still _Black blood._ Fuck, it pisses me off how she still keeps trying to prove his worth!"

"Sirius, she's not," Regulus began. "She...you can't understand it. It's...Draco's case is something that's never happened before." He turned to their friend. "And it's even worse that everyone knows you were raised by _Dumbledore._ "

Draco nodded slowly and Sirius turned to look at him with a confused expression. The two boys in front of him exchanged dark looks and then Draco pulled out a folded newspaper from his back pocket and handed it to Sirius. Sirius unfolded it. There, on the cover of that morning's Prophet, was a photograph of the three boys on the station platform, dodging the camera flashes and trying to move through the curious crowd. A big headline at the top of the page read _The Prodigal Black is Home at Last_. Sirius looked at up Draco.

"That's all anyone's gonna be talking about now," Draco said, quietly, looking disgusted himself.

Sirius gave him a long, hard look which Draco reciprocated, but neither said a word. Sirius then looked down at the paper in his hands again and shook his head. Those damn idiots...

Bringing Draco here for the holidays had been a big mistake.

"What does it matter, anyway?" Regulus now said, clapping his hands once. "Our family _is_ famous. Why shouldn't we be on the cover of the Daily Prophet?"

Sirius rolled his eyes but Draco gave Regulus a smile and turned back to the tapestry on the wall. Sirius began to move away from them, still examining the paper and somewhat walking about the room, skimming the article written by a very nosey wizard with whom he'd argued once in Diagon Alley, years ago.

Several silent minutes passed, and then a gasp later, Draco spun round on his heel to face a startled-looking Sirius.

"What is it?" Sirius said at once.

"Longbottom!" Draco cried, his finger pointing at the name _Harfang Longbottom_.

"Oh," Sirius said carelessly. "Yeah, so?"

"So?!" Draco repeated incredulously. "You...you're related to Frank!"

Sirius smiled. "What did you expect?" Draco frowned. "All the pureblood families are interrelated. They'd have to be if they only marry their own kind."

"But he's not on here!" Draco cried, turning back to the tapestry and scanning it quickly.

"He wouldn't be," Sirius said, saving him time. "He's not a direct Black."

"What's that mean?" said Draco.

"He's a Black by marriage," Regulus clarified, looking thoroughly disgusted of course. _"Not_ by blood."

"Oh," said Draco, turning back to Sirius. "But...he's still related to you then?"

Sirius shrugged. "We're like...second cousins in law or something, I dunno." He paused, giving Draco a smirk. "There's a Potter somewhere on there too."

Draco's eyes went round and he spun again, no doubt to search for the name. Sirius let out a laugh and pointed his finger at the precise area where the name would be found. Moments later, Draco was reading the name _Charlus Potter,_ married to _Dorea,_ daughter of one _Cygnus Black._

"Wow," Draco said, "So basically, James's parents are like, cousins to... _your_ parents..."

"By marriage," Regulus corrected, "Not by blood."

Sirius rolled his eyes and nodded at Draco, who turned back to the tapestry.

"James and I are like, third cousins in law," Sirius added momentarily. Draco didn't turn to look at him this time but only nodded, continuing to examine the tree, no doubt in search for the rest of the marauders. Sirius smiled. "They won't be on there. The Pettigrews never wed into our family and the Lupins...well...let's just say they're...outsiders..."

"Because they're weird, that's why," Regulus said to the room at large. "They're always moving around. They never stay in one spot."

Draco looked round at Sirius who gave him a prominent look before answering Regulus, "Some people don't like staying in the same place for very long."

"Well anyway," Regulus said, moving toward the tapestry again with a bright smile on his face, "See here, Draco? These are the more interesting parts of the tree. Nearly all my friends' family names are on here! There's Druella Rosier right there, and Caspar Crouch is just over here—"

"Has anyone else had enough of memory lane?" Sirius said, but he was thoroughly ignored.

Regulus continued to point at various spots on the tapestry and Draco ooh'd and aww'd and asked questions. It was official. Sirius was on his own.

* * *

"Stand up straight, Sirius," said Orion as he stood back and watched Lionel fix Sirius's bowtie. "Straighter than that, go on."

"Yes father," said Sirius, straightening up as high as he could.

"Do you remember where you need to stand when the guests arrive?" Walburga asked him.

Sirius nodded his head, silently biting back the pain from Lionel tying the material around his neck too tight.

"This is a very important party, Sirius, I want you to remember that," his mother reminded him. "All these people are coming from afar to wish you luck for next week."

"I know, mother," Sirius said. "I promise I'll be good."

"Oh I know you will," she said, smiling at him. He smiled back. She'd been nothing but pleasant ever since he'd gotten his Hogwarts letter. He had to admit that it had been nice being friends again. He had never gotten along with his parents very well, but the way they were treating him now, well...he could get easily used to this.

"It's not fair," Regulus whined from the corner for the thousandth time that day.

"Hush Regulus," said Orion, his eyes on Sirius with a proud expression. "Your turn will come just next year."

"But how come _Sirius_ gets to go first?" Regulus whined. "And how come he gets this huge party? I want a party too!"

Sirius looked at his brother and scoffed. He was such a pain in the neck. He was always jealous of Sirius getting to do everything first. But it wasn't like it was _his_ fault for being the older brother! And besides, Sirius wasn't going to let him ruin this party for him. He'd never been to a Black party before but his parents finally thought he was ready, which meant that he must've done something right to prove his worth. He could hardly wait to prove them right.

"And you shall get one," Walburga assured Regulus, who was still whining. "Alright Lionel, that's enough." Lionel bowed once and moved away from Sirius so that his parents could examine him in the brand new dress robes that he'd been fitted for. He looked down at them and then up at his parents. He looked just like his father now.

"Perfect," his father said, looking pleased. "You're ready to see the world, son."

Sirius beamed at him.

Yes, he was ready.

* * *

"So how come only one Longbottom is on that tree then?" Draco asked as the boys finally left the drawing room and started down the corridor. "I mean, yeah, Frank isn't a direct Black, but I'm sure he has some relatives who are?"

"Maybe," said Regulus, "But that still wouldn't be enough to land them in the family tree."

"But why?"

"Because only the _real_ Blacks make it to the tree," Regulus said, pausing suddenly to look at Draco with worry. "I mean...you know, you're not really a factor here, your situation is completely different...I just meant..."

"Yeah, yeah," Draco said, nodding quickly. "I'm not offended, I'm just asking."

"Right," Regulus said, starting to walk again.

Sirius followed after them silently.

"Basically, your friend Frank Longbottom has maybe one seventh Black blood in his system," Regulus went on, "That doesn't exactly qualify him a spot on the family tree."

"Who does qualify then?" said Draco.

Regulus thought for a minute. "Well, I'm not sure, but I'd say those who are full Black, half Black, third or even quarter. But I've never seen anyone on that tree that's got less than a quarter of Black blood in their system. And also, only one or two generations are added to the tree if you're wed into the family. So that's why there's only one Longbottom on there. Just because our family wed them, doesn't mean they are all suddenly gonna end up on the tree, know what I mean?"

Draco shook his head. "It's confusing, man."

"You don't need to care about that stuff," Sirius told him once they finally reached the end of the corridor.

They sidestepped the statues of elves' heads and reached the main entranceway, finally deciding to settle in one of the lounge areas. Sirius collapsed on one of the couches and the other two sat side by side on another.

"So what about Kreacher then?" Draco said.

"What about him?" Sirius sighed. He couldn't understand why they were still talking about this and what possible appeal it could have to Draco.

"Well the Longbottoms and the Crouches and the Rosiers and all those other people who are sort of related to you guys but not really," said Draco, "Would they have the power to boss Kreacher around, given that some of them still technically have Black blood in their systems?"

"No," Regulus answered. "No one can boss Kreacher around except for direct family."

Sirius gave Draco a look and then smiled sarcastically. "We've been blessed with his gracious presence for the rest of our lives."

Draco smirked and turned back to Regulus. "You say you're gonna get him one day, right?"

Regulus shrugged, trying to hide that pathetic smile of his. He had never failed to remind Sirius that he would be getting the elf once their parents went. Not that it mattered, anyway. Sirius had no intention of keeping the elf and knew that if, for whatever reason, Regulus went before him and _he_ ended up with the elf, he'd probably choke it to death before the forms could be signed.

Draco thought long and hard and then turned to Sirius. "What do you get?"

Sirius stared at him. "What?"

"What do _you_ get once your parents go?" Draco repeated in all seriousness.

The two brothers exchanged looks as if it was the most ridiculous question ever asked.

"You're still a Black," Draco pointed out. "You're one of _the_ most important Blacks, as far as I can tell. You guys are _royalty._ There is no way that you'd be left with nothing."

"I..." said Sirius, not sure what to say.

"Sirius is the older brother," Regulus began, "So if we're bound by ancient laws, which we are, he'd be entitled to sixty percent of our family's profits whereas I'd be entitled to forty."

"Plus the elf," said Draco.

Regulus smirked. "Yeah, plus the elf."

Rolling his eyes again, Sirius pulled out his wand and waved it at the fireplace. It lit up at once and started making nice, homey crackling noises in the corner, making the room warm up considerably. He stretched on the couch and let his head rest back. Though he wasn't hungover anymore, he could still feel a massive headache lurking on the edge and just waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. He wasn't sure whether it was because he'd taken a bit more than the recommended dosage of Madame Pomfrey's stressless potion last night, or the fact that Draco was acting so at-home here, that made Sirius want to vomit.

After supper, the boys dressed and headed over to that marketplace to get fitted for robes. By then, Regulus had reached the tales of Phineas Nigellus and how the Blacks were most proud to have provided one of their own as a Hogwarts Headmaster long ago...the only headmaster, in fact, to have been housed in Slytherin.

"So all your family have been Slytherins," Draco said as they walked along the snowy muggle streets.

"Ninety nine percent Slytherin," Regulus said, proudly.

"Hold it," Sirius said, finally speaking up since they'd left the house. "Draco's a Black too, and he's also a Gryffindor, so technically, _technically_ ," he pointed a finger at Regulus, "The family's less than ninety nine percent Slytherin." Regulus stopped walking and glared at Sirius, who now smiled at him and shrugged.

"Technically," he added to Regulus, still speechless.

Sirius patted Draco once on the shoulder and then proceeded to lead the way to that antique shop.

The rest of the day wasn't as painful as the morning had been. After the shop, the boys walked around a bit more, getting Draco familiar with the area where they lived, and then headed back to the house for dinner with their parents. This time, Sirius saw just how pushy his parents could be. They continued to question Draco as though they were contemplating what to do with him and whether he was worth keeping around. Whenever the subject of Dumbledore came up, his mother made a disgusting face and his father grew intensely serious and put his fingers together on the table. But Draco seemed like he was being very careful about what he was saying, and wisely so. Sirius could only imagine what his parents' reactions would be if they knew the whole truth...about Draco's weekly lessons with Dumbledore, about how much 'brainwashing' he must be undergoing in Gryffindor on a daily basis, all of it. The thought of it brought a smile to Sirius's face, and when he caught his mother's eye and saw the look that she gave him, he looked back down at his barely-touched plate again.

* * *

The stairs below creaked slightly with every step that he took, but Sirius was intent on hearing every bit of this conversation, so he continued to pursue them as carefully and as lightly as he possibly could. He could hear the voices from the room below but they were still hard to make out. He finally reached the bottom of the stairs and dropped to his knees so that he could keep balanced on both feet. Then, he strained his ears.

"...I don't see why you won't just hear me out..." his mother was saying, among other things Sirius hear.

Frustrated, he tried moving along the corridor to maybe get closer to the closed door of the sitting room, but one of the stairs behind him creaked and he flew back, terrified.

"Reg!" he hissed into the darkness. Regulus moved down the last couple of steps, barefooted and in his pajamas. "What are you doing here? Go back!"

"I wanna come with you!" Regulus whispered, putting his hands together as though begging.

"I said go back!"

Sirius tried shoving him away but his brother was being unusually persistent, holding his arm stubbornly even though Sirius kept trying to shake it off. He finally gave up trying to get rid of him and resorted to moving closer to the room so he could hear his parents' conversation better. Regulus followed on his tiptoes until the both of them had finally reached the wall adjacent to the room. They both knelt down so they were on ground level and Sirius brought a finger to his lips and gave Regulus a hard look. Regulus nodded back.

"I'm just saying that it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world," Walburga was saying.

"We've already discussed this before, many times, and the answer is still no," Orion said.

It sounded like he was pacing about the room. Sirius could just imagine how that looked. His father pacing angrily and his mother leaning back against the desk with a glass of wine in her hand and that angry look on her face.

"Orion," she said now, "You weren't there when he talked to me. You didn't hear the things that he said to me." There was a pause. "I swear, it is as if we brought our own son to the party and came home with a stranger! I've never seen him acting like this before!"

"He was just probably overwhelmed by the crowd," Orion said. "There were at least a hundred people there, Walburga."

"It's not a crowd issue," she argued. "He told me that he was terrified to see those people again because apparently he didn't like some of the things that they were telling him or asking him. Our friends, our _family,_ Orion! He's _afraid_ of them! Do you understand how serious this is?"

"Walburga—"

"He's always been different! You know this yourself, why are you arguing with me here?! Can you just imagine how much worse it's going to get if he gets on that train tomorrow?"

"He's eleven—"

"—almost _twelve_ actually," she snapped back, "And for twelve, he's not acting the way he should be. It's about time he put away those stupid car models and those weird muggle comic books and he started acting like a _real_ Black."

"And he will, in the promise of time," Orion assured her. "He's a kid. Let him be a kid for now."

"Fine," said Walburga, probably throwing her arms in the air like she liked to do during fights. "Fine, let him be a kid. But in the right school."

There was another pause.

"What is that supposed to mean?" said Orion.

"Ow," Regulus hissed in Sirius's ear, shifting on the floor. Sirius shushed him again and moved closer to the door.

"It means that if we send him to Hogwarts and he starts talking to people who are _not_ pureblood...people who are _not_ Slytherins...Orion, we are never going to get our son back. That will be the end of it."

"We will deal with that when _and if_ we get to it," Orion said. "I am the man of this house. And as long as I am alive, I shall have the final say. My son will go to Hogwarts School and he will be sorted into Slytherin. I will not have it any other way." His footsteps neared the doorway and Regulus started to pull Sirius's sleeve but he shrugged him off and listened further. His father stopped at the door.

"I do not want to hear talk of Durmstrang again in this house."

* * *

Later in the evening, Sirius finally managed to pull Draco away from his demented family and into his own room where he'd be safe from evil and manipulation. Once they were alone, Sirius pulled out a deck of cards and sat with his friend on his bed.

"I think that dinner went rather well," Draco offered as Sirius dealt. "Better than last night's did, anyway. Don't you think?"

"Mm," said Sirius, shrugging simply.

"And way better than breakfast this morning," Draco added, a little more quietly this time.

Sirius looked up at him, having stopped dealing the cards. Draco snuck a glance at him.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Sirius asked. Draco started to say something but he continued. "And don't feed me that nonsense about how you thought I was tired and how I should get some sleep and how you were fine because you were with Regulus. What, you don't think I know that little prick well by now? He's only my goddamn brother."

"Sirius—"

"I _told_ you before that I regretted bringing you here...that I didn't think you were ready to meet the likes of my family...you _knew_ how much it bothered me and how serious I was about keeping you safe from their influence... _why_ didn't you wake me?"

"I wanted to," said Draco, quickly. Sirius looked at him and Draco sighed. "I did, really. But..."

"But what?"

"You have all these opinions that are already set in. For life. You're never gonna change them, I know you won't. And...and Regulus is my friend too. He's just as much my family as you are. And his opinions are so different from yours."

"Wait, what are you saying exactly?" said Sirius, having forgotten about the cards altogether.

Draco hesitated. "I'm saying that you should listen to Remus." Sirius frowned. "I'm saying that I want to see it all for myself and make my own opinions."

"Or maybe you just want to be showered with all the fake love and riches that they throw at you," Sirius said bitterly, and Draco raised his eyebrows and stared at him.

"What?" he hissed, looking hurt by the betrayal of Sirius's words.

Sirius looked away from him and pushed some of the cards on the bed.

"Say that again," Draco challenged, his tone of voice suddenly different. Suddenly like...Orion's.

Sirius looked at the clueless boy sitting on his bed. He had _no idea_ what he was putting himself up against. But he was right. He'd have to find out on his own.

"I'm sorry," Sirius offered, his voice quiet. "It's...it's been a long day."

Draco swallowed and nodded slowly.

"It's hard, you know?" Sirius added momentarily. "Being back here and all...it brings up a lot of old, unresolved things."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Draco said. "But..." Sirius looked up at him. "You've got to have more faith in me, man. I know what I'm doing!"

"Yeah but—"

"I know, I know. You don't think I know what I'm dealing with here. You think that I'm naïve and that I don't know them like you do. And yeah, maybe you're right. But Sirius, I'm a grown person. I can protect myself and I know what I will and will not stand."

Sirius wanted to laugh but decided against it. Draco would just have to see for himself. That was all that Sirius could do in this case.

"You worry too much, mate." Sirius looked up at his friend incredulously and Draco let out a laugh before adding, "Come on, deal me."

When Sirius awoke the next morning, it was once again with the knowledge that Draco was not in his room. At least he hadn't slept till noon this time. In fact, it was barely ten o'clock. He sighed but took his time getting up, knowing now that wherever Draco was, whatever he was doing, he was glad to be doing it. And he supposed he'd have to take his friend's word on it—that he knew what he was doing and that he should trust him.

Instead of going out to find Draco, Sirius shifted over to his desk and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and dipped his quill in some ink. He thought for a long couple of minutes, and then began to write.

"Hey, it's about time!" Draco cried when Sirius appeared in the sitting room about a quarter past eleven.

There was a grand tree sparkling at the end of the room with twinkling lights tied around the fireplace and all along the walls, making the whole room surprisingly warm and festive. Sirius didn't recognize any of the decorations which told him that they had been recently purchased.

"Hi," he said, moving to sit on the carpet near where Draco and Regulus looked to be in the middle of an intense game of Wizard's Chess. "Where is everyone?"

"Mother and father are out again today," Regulus answered without looking up. "They'll be back in time for dinner."

"What do they do all day long?"

Regulus shrugged, his eyes on the board in front of him. "Knight to H3."

His piece moved and shoved Draco's pawn out of the board, taking its place. Draco laughed and crossed his legs, leaning forward. Sirius moved to sit on the couch and stared at him. He looked so... _happy..._ so... _at home._ He looked like the best version of himself that he could possibly be. At Hogwarts, he'd sometimes had these moments where you could tell he was trying hard not to say what was on his mind or act out on something irrationally. You could tell that there was always something else going on than he showed...something deeper. But here, it wasn't like that at all. Here, he looked comfortable.

Draco let out a triumphant laugh as his queen crossed one of Regulus's knights, thus achieving a perfect checkmate. Regulus clapped his hands for a few seconds and then began to clean off the board. Draco sighed happily and turned to Sirius.

"You hungry?"

Sirius shrugged. "I could eat."

Draco sat up. "LIONEL!"

His shout made Sirius jump slightly, but Regulus only looked up with a confident smile. Lionel was in the room in an instant, bowing before Draco.

"Make us a couple of those cheese sandwiches you were talking about earlier," Draco instructed. "Oh and also bring coffee." He looked at Sirius. "You take cream and sugar?"

Sirius opened his mouth a little but didn't say anything. Draco smirked and looked back at Lionel.

"Tell you what, bring both, okay?"

"Yes, Master Draco," Lionel said, bowing once before disappearing from the room.

Regulus looked at Sirius, beaming. "He's a natural, isn't he?"

Sirius smiled back, though the smile never reached his eyes. He looked around again and then raised his eyebrows at Regulus. "I take it Lionel is behind all this?"

Regulus gave him a questionable look. "Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, Sirius. You know how it works. They put the decorations up today and—"

"—and take them down in two days, I know," Sirius finished, sighing deeply.

"Two days?" said Draco.

"Well, Christmas night," Regulus corrected. "Or even on the 26th, in the morning before you're up." When Draco frowned, Regulus added, "We're not really that big on Christmas."

After that late breakfast, the boys dressed and went back to that antique shop again to change Regulus's bowtie, which he apparently was unhappy with that morning. This alone kept them busy there for a good hour as Regulus insisted on trying on different ties and hearing the stories behind their designs from the clerk. It seemed that the crown would fall off his head if he didn't get a tie that had a unique story behind it.

When they returned back to the house, they saw that the servants had put up even more decorations to make it look like the family was big on Christmas when it in fact wasn't. Sirius knew the drill of course. They'd sit down on Christmas Eve, do the whole feast thing, then wake up the next day with presents and then the decorations would be gone and it'd be just like any other day. He'd spent his entire childhood doing Christmas this way. Well, except for first year. But back then, he wasn't exactly in the mood for any Christmas rubbish. That was for sure.

* * *

"How about another round? Go on, mate, how 'bout it?"

"I dunno," Sirius said, shrugging James's hand off his shoulder and continuing to stare into the fireplace angrily.

"Oh come on!" James continued. "Look, I'll let you start first even though I won the last one, okay?"

Sirius glanced at his excited friend, then at the pile of chess pieces on the carpet and then shook his head and turned back to the fireplace.

"Lighten up, Sirius!" Peter cried from the opposite couch. "It's Christmas!"

"Yeah," Sirius grumbled, his eyes still on the fireplace. "It's Christmas and my own family doesn't want me at home."

"Forget about them," James told him. Sirius scoffed but James added, "No really, forget about them! Look, I'm gonna show you something. Something brilliant. Something that's gonna knock you off your hypothetical broom!"

"Oooh, such big words for such a small boy," said that tall second year boy with the messy hair. He came down the stairs now and winked at the boys.

"You don't have to be so mean all the time, you know," Remus called out to him, suddenly sitting up on the couch. Sirius hadn't even noticed that he'd woken from his nap. He looked very green now that he looked at him, but his friend didn't seem to care as his own eyes were still on that boy.

"No, no, it's okay," James said quickly, giving Remus a warning look that meant it was time to shut up.

The older boy laughed, shaking his head, and left the common room. James sighed, still looking after him.

"One day, Frank Longbottom will be our best friend," he declared. "And we're all gonna be hanging out with his friends all the time. You'll see."

"Unlikely," Remus scoffed, sitting back on the couch.

There was a pause.

"Are you sure you don't want to go see the nurse?" Peter asked him. "You look like you're gonna be sick again."

"I'm fine," Remus mumbled, hugging the pillow closer to his stomach. "It's just a flu...stomach...thing..."

Sirius looked at him worriedly and silently kicked himself for not making his friends go home for the holidays like they were supposed to. Sure, he'd initially protested, but he could've done more. Now, they were stuck here with him for the next two weeks, out of sheer pity. And what on earth would their own families think? He didn't want to be anyone's charity case. But even the thought of being here in the common room alone for two weeks was more unbearable than the thought of rereading his mother's latest letter.

James punched Sirius's arm again to get his attention. "So, wanna see it now?"

Sirius sighed and waved his arms in surrender. James beamed at him and hurriedly began shuffling through his bag. Sirius sat there, watching him and thinking. It was so embarrassing to have to tell his new friends that his family was so twisted that they'd banish him from coming home for the holidays, all because he'd been sorted into the wrong house... The way James spoke made Sirius think that he came from a very decent pureblood family. Remus and Peter too. For them, Sirius's family must've seemed like such a demented lot.

James finally pulled out a long-looking, dark quilt of some kind with fancy patterns that shimmered in the firelight.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at his new friend. "That's it? That's what you wanted to show me?"

"It's just a blanket!" cried Peter.

"Nope," James said, still grinning broadly. He jumped to his feet and unfolded it out. "It's a cloak, see?"

"Okay, a cloak," Sirius said. "What's so special about a cloak?"

Never seizing to smile, James pulled the cloak over himself and covered his body with it. At once, it vanished before the boys' eyes.

"Whoa!" Peter gasped, jumping to his feet. Remus's eyes went round and Sirius himself was now grinning as he slowly got to his feet in front of James and reached out to touch where James's left shoulder should've been. And indeed, he felt it, but he couldn't see it.

"That's an invisibility cloak!" Peter cried, hopping excitedly. "I wanna try! I wanna try!"

"Where'd you get it?" Remus asked, not moving from the couch.

"My father gave it to me," James told him proudly. "He said it's been passed down in our family for generations and that one day I'll give it away to my son too."

"That's bloody brilliant, mate," Sirius said, ignoring Peter's hopping around and about.

"Told you it'd cheer you up," James said, looking pleased. "Anyway, that's not all."

"There's more?"

"Uh-huh," James took off the cloak. "I was exploring the castle the other night and I found the entranceway to the kitchens." The boys all exchanged looks and James smiled wickedly at Sirius. "Care for a midnight stroll in search of a midnight snack?"

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but then James made the ultimate best friend gesture, and handed him the cloak.

* * *

The boys spent the next couple of hours before dinner in the drawing room once again, where Draco asked loads more questions, this time focusing more on family histories...who married whom and how many children they had and what schools they'd attended and which of them had been in Professor Slughorn's precious little club.

"He's been inviting the Blacks to his parties for decades now," Regulus kept repeating. He absolutely _adored_ the professor and never failed to remind his parents that Sirius was not a member of the club.

"And why doesn't that surprise me?" his mother would say. "He's always been an odd one, hasn't he, Orion?"

"Who?" his father would say, giving him a sharp look and then taking his drink out of the room.

According to him, Sirius was as good as dead.

Dinner that evening was slightly different than it had been the last two nights. Rather than asking Draco questions about his past with Dumbledore, Orion and Walburga instead asked him questions about his time at Hogwarts and who he was surrounding himself with. He made a point to mention Severus Snape more, and the Marauders less. Sirius found this to be a particularly interesting detail and inadvertently avoided Draco's eyes during dinner. Orion seemed the most interested out of all of them in whatever Draco had to say, whereas Walburga just sipped her wine and watched him, as though deciding whether he was a cockroach that needed to be squashed, or a slightly worthier bug. She, unlike Orion, would take her sweet time to give Draco her blessing.

"What position do you play?" Orion asked once Draco mentioned Quidditch.

Sirius scoffed. _As if he didn't already know..._

"I'm the team advisor actually," Draco answered, looking Orion directly in the eye. "I substitute for players every now and then but my official title is advisor."

"What does that mean?" Walburga asked.

Draco thought for a minute before answering. "It means that I help the captains strategize and plan for every match."

"Captains?" said Orion. "Since when does a team have more than one captain?"

"Since James made me the _co-captain_ and you bloody well know it," Sirius blurted out before quickly adding a very sarcastic "sir".

His father turned his head slightly in his direction, gave him a long, disapproving look, and then turned back to Draco with a relaxed expression.

"That must mean you are a chameleon," he said to him. Draco frowned. "An adapter of all things...it is a very powerful skill to have."

Draco gave him a grateful smile and continued to eat. Orion and Walburga exchanged a look only Sirius seemed to notice and then proceeded to drink their wine. Sirius glanced at Draco again, who didn't look up.

"You know, I played a fair amount of Quidditch in my day," Orion began to say now.

"Did you really?" Regulus said with interest.

"I was a fair player, I'll admit to that," Orion said, holding his head up with a proud smile on his face.

"Well you'll have to show me sometime, Mr. Black," Draco said casually.

Sirius stared at his father as he smiled at Draco.

"Please," he said, "Call me Orion."

Draco smiled back.

Around the time dessert was served, Sirius had had enough and was ready to excuse himself to bed any minute. But before he could have the chance to do so, his mother asked Draco the one question Sirius had hoped she wouldn't. And once she did, there was no turning back.

"How do you like your bedroom for your stay?"

Draco glanced at Sirius who cleared his throat to get his mother's attention.

"He's been staying with me, actually," he informed her.

The fake pleasant look on her face vanished instantly. Replacing it was that killer of a cold look once again and she turned this time to Draco.

"You have not been staying in the guest bedroom that we've provided for you?"

"I..." said Draco, shifting in his seat slightly.

"No," Sirius answered for him, looking his mother directly in the eye. "He's been staying _with me."_

"Was there something the matter with the bedroom we'd offered?" Walburga asked Draco, still ignoring Sirius.

"Is that a serious question?" Sirius cried out, his eyes still on his mother. Hers shifted slightly in his direction but she didn't look directly at him. It was as though she was ashamed even of making that eye contact, however minimal. Sirius straightened up in his seat and added boldly, "There is something wrong with every single room in this house, apart from mine." His mother finally looked at him and he smiled at her sarcastically. "In case you haven't noticed... _mother."_

"Sirius," his father said in his warning voice, "Watch your tongue."

"Why should I have to?" Sirius continued. Under the table, Regulus kicked his foot hard but he thoroughly ignored him and instead glared at his father. _"She_ won't even look at me! As if I'm contagious of some infectious disease or something!"

"Oh now you're just being dramatic," his mother said, throwing down her napkin. "If you won't be pleasant here like the rest of us, then get out of my sight."

"It'll be my pleasure!" Sirius cried, getting to his feet at once and throwing his own napkin on the table. He turned to Draco. "Let's go."

For the first time, Draco had nothing to say. He looked completely and utterly speechless as his head turned from Sirius to Regulus to the two monsters on either side of the table.

"Draco," Sirius repeated urgently.

"He has not yet been dismissed," his father said, giving Sirius a sharp look.

Sirius glared at him. _"I—don't—care."_

"Oh for the love of—" said his mother, pulling out her wand.

Here it was coming. He knew it was. She'd done it before...knocked him out cold so that he woke up the next morning in his bed with his brain all fuzzy. She did it fast too, before he could ever think to pull out his own wand and cast a protective charm. It was one of her many charming qualities. Sirius shut his eyes quickly now and waited for it to finally be done and over with. Maybe now, Draco would see exactly what kind of people Sirius's parents were. But as he stood there, waiting, nothing happened. He didn't feel that rush of cold chill sweep through his body. He didn't feel his mind dive into a spacious blank of nothingness. Instead, he heard a voice...a voice that possibly was the only reason Walburga didn't go through with the spell.

"My apologies for the interruption, mistress, dear sire, but I have an urgent message," said Lionel.

When Sirius opened his eyes, he found his mother watching his father intently as he silently read through a note that Lionel had brought on a silver crested tray. When his father was through reading it, he looked at his mother with an expression hard to translate.

"What is it?" she asked him.

Sirius, still standing, glanced at Draco across from him, who himself was watching him with confusion.

"Our attendance is required at an important function tonight," was all his father said, but it was enough for his mother, who instantly dismissed everyone to bed.

Sirius was mighty relieved too. He pulled Draco with him to his bedroom as quickly as his feet would take him. Unfortunately for him, Regulus insisted on following them inside.

"It's something related with what's happening now with the war," he whispered once they were safe inside.

Draco hopped on the bed and sat back against one of the pillows while Sirius locked his door and then went to close the curtains, waving his wand in the process to light up several candles around the room, making it warm and glowing. When he turned back around, he found Regulus sitting cross-legged on his bed as well, as if ready to tell bedtime stories with Draco. Sirius frowned at the two.

"They've been fairly involved with matters, you see," Regulus was telling Draco now in a hushed voice. "They never go into detail but I hear things from the servants. They talk, you know. Well of course they would, they have nothing better to do all day. The house is always clean and everything is always cooked and ready. That's what you get when you've magic at your heel."

"So you don't know what's happening then?" Draco urged.

"No," Regulus shook his head. "But whatever it is, it's something big. I overheard Lionel telling Katherine that they're off to St. Mungo's."

"Whoa," said Draco. "So someone got hurt then..."

"What do you mean _someone_ got hurt?" Sirius blurted out, causing both boys to turn to him. "It's a fucking war! _Of course_ someone's getting hurt! People are getting hurt _every day!"_

"Alright Sirius, calm down," Regulus said.

Sirius flew to his side in an instant and had his fingers around Regulus's little throat so fast Regulus barely had time to dodge him.

"SIRIUS, STOP!" Draco cried, trying to pull his arms away from the younger Black. But Sirius only glared into his brother's eyes with fury, hissing the words.

 _"Never tell me to calm down, ever again."_

He finally released Regulus who then coughed his way out of the room. Sirius, still standing with hands clenched into fists, glared after him.

"What is the _matter_ with you?!" Draco practically shouted in his ear.

Sirius jumped back and looked at him.

"What?"

"You could've hurt him bad!" Draco cried. "Why do you feel the need to choke anyone who bothers you? Who's supposed to be the Gryffindor in this house? The supposedly brave and noble one?"

"W-what..."

"You're acting like a fucking Slytherin is what you are," Draco continued, spitting the words out with anger.

"You're one to talk!" Sirius cried back. "You... _you're_ the one who's going around all, 'oh Lionel, do this for me,' 'oh Orion, do show me when you get the chance.' I'd say it's _you_ who's acting all Slytherin here."

"I _AM_ SLYTHERIN!" Draco shouted.

Sirius stared at him.

"What?"

Draco breathed, glaring at Sirius with something he couldn't understand.

"I mean," he said, still huffing and puffing from his rage. "I dunno I..." he looked back at the open door and then turned to Sirius again. "I'm gonna go check on him...see if he's okay."

He left.

Sirius stared after him, feeling himself raged and annoyed. He began to pace about the room, wanting at first to punch one of his pillows and then considering going for the window instead. He was sure to keep his wand out of his hands, so as not to inadvertently shoot out spells in spontaneous rushes of anger.

When Draco did not come back after ten minutes, Sirius felt it safe to assume he'd be spending the next couple of hours with his _brother..._ the Black whom he _really_ identified with, as it turned out.

At ten o'clock, Sirius finally stopped pacing, took a couple of deep breaths and dived into his bag to search for one of the little vials that Madame Pomfrey had given him. Once he'd finally gotten a hold of one, he tilted it into his mouth and let out far more than just three drops.

The next time he saw Draco was the next morning in one of the upstairs bathrooms. Draco had overheard him vomiting into the toilet and brought along a cold cloth which Sirius placed on his forehead once he was done.

"When'd you get back?" he asked, letting Draco help him back to his room.

"Around midnight," Draco said. "You were passed out cold so I didn't wake you."

Sirius nodded, letting Draco help him onto the bed and resting his head against the pillow. His brain was literally spinning inside of his skull, and there was an awful stench in the room that made him want to roll over and hurl again. He made a disgusted look and sniffed. Draco jumped.

"Sorry, that's my bad," he said as he hurried over to the center of the room and cleaned incense things off from the carpet and opened up one of the windows, letting cold air in. "I was meditating."

"Where is the darling family?" Sirius moaned.

"Still sleeping, I reckon," Draco said, now sitting on the bed next to him.

Sirius glanced at him. "Wait, what time is it?"

"Just after eight," Draco answered. "They got back pretty late last night so I think they'll be sleeping it off for the next two hours at least."

"And...and Regulus?"

Draco smiled sadly. "He's out cold too."

"Is...is he...?"

"He's just fine. You should get some rest now, you look like death."

Sirius let out a laugh and turned on the bed. "I _feel_ like death, I'll tell you that."

* * *

"Just don't be afraid too much, try to loosen up a bit," James said, giving the boy an encouraging smile.

Regulus shifted in his seat slightly and looked out the window again, where the moving hills could be seen from afar.

"There is no place safer than Hogwarts so whatever house you're sorted into, you'll make friends," Remus assured him.

"And if not, you'll still know us at least!" Peter added.

Regulus offered a smile and then looked sideways nervously at Sirius, who still had a calm expression on his face.

"I _told_ you," he reminded him, "I have no worries whatsoever."

"But—"

"You'll be _fine_."

Sirius looked to his friends and they all nodded their agreement. He looked back at his brother.

"I'll be there the whole time, you just gotta do what I told you to do."

"But it can't be that easy, can it?" Regulus asked, looking round at the other boys.

"It can if you want it to," James told him. "The sorting hat takes your choice into account."

"It does?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"And if you just tell it that you want to go to Gryffindor, and you really mean it too, then it'll put you there," Sirius told Regulus again. "You've just gotta do it right, that's all."

"But..." said Regulus, looking around shyly before lowering his voice so that only Sirius could hear him, "Do you really think that's a good idea, Sirius?"

"How do you mean?" Sirius frowned.

"Mother and father will be so mad!" Regulus cried. "What if they never forgive me? What if...what if they start to be mean to me like...like they are f-for you?"

Sirius looked at his brother long and hard before answering, very confidently, "I won't let anything ever happen to you." Regulus stared at him. "You hear?" Regulus nodded. "Stick with me, and you will always be fine." He leaned forward. "It's you and me, Reg. Us against the world."

Regulus looked round at Sirius's friends and then gulped nervously before meeting his brother's eyes again.

"Us against the world," Regulus repeated, nodding his head quickly.

* * *

Sirius turned back on the bed to look at Draco, who was still there, evidently thinking about something important.

"I haven't always been like this with Regulus, you know."

Draco smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"There were times when we were the best of friends...way back when we were little."

"Sirius, I know."

"And I had such high hopes for him...it was going to be me and him against them...against the world, if you will. But now..."

"Sirius," Draco said, looking a mixture of concerned and angry, "Did you overdose on Madame Pomfrey's potion last night?"

Sirius turned away from him, thus answering Draco's question. Draco sighed and shook his head.

"Another incident like this, and I'll tell Dumbledore how you've been really handling your problems," Draco promised.

Sirius groaned into his pillow. Maybe Draco was right...he really did know how to handle things himself.

He turned in the bed to look at his friend again.

"What are you doing up so early anyway?" Sirius asked, now placing the cloth on his bedside table. He didn't need that rubbish anyway. He was perfectly fine.

"Oh I thought I'd get a bit more meditation done," Draco answered.

"How's that going?"

Draco shrugged, looking rather grim.

"What is it?" Sirius asked him.

Draco looked at him. "It's taking too long, man. I feel like I'm not doing it right."

Sirius laughed and shifted on the bed. "You've been at it for only a few months and you're already complaining?"

Draco smiled weakly.

"Man, we'd been at it for more than a year!" Sirius added. "You need to calm down. You'll get it soon enough."

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "Yeah, you're right."

He then let out a strange sort of chuckle and passed Sirius that morning's copy of the Daily Prophet. Sirius groaned as he examined the fresh new title on the cover, with yet another shot of the three boys on the platform, this time ready to cross the street to greet Alistair and Savannah. At the bottom of the page was a moving photograph of Dumbledore, apparently snapped somewhere in Diagon Alley.

 _"How the Prodigal Black Broke Albus Dumbledore's Heart."_

Sirius looked up at Draco with a strange expression and Draco laughed again.

"The article is all about how apparently I chose the Blacks over Dumbledore for where to spend the holidays."

"Well that's just great," Sirius said, shoving the paper away and turning in his bed. "We're a fuckin' circus now."

"Sirius," Draco said, his tone light, "We're always a circus." Sirius smiled. "I'm gonna go get coffee, you want?"

"Nah," Sirius said. "I think I'll try to do that...sleeping thing..."

Draco smirked and got up from the bed. "See you later then."

Once Sirius was alone in the room, he turned to look in the direction of the open window, through which he could see large snowflakes falling from the clear white sky. The fresh smell of winter filled the room at once and Sirius closed his eyes and sat there like that until he got cold and waved his wand to shut the window.

He checked his watch. Ten o'clock. He sighed and sat back against the pillow again, thinking. He could hear footsteps outside his door every once in a while, accompanied occasionally by soft muttering. It didn't take him long to conclude that it was only Kreacher, pretending to clean just so he could spy on him. Typical.

"Fuck off!" Sirius called out, waving his wand over his door to make sure it was sealed shut. He swore he could hear Kreacher muttering over on the other side but ignored him and instead reached over to the nearest drawer and opened it a little, pulling out a velvety cloth wrapped around his most prized possession to date.

He paused to listen if Kreacher was still lurking out in the corridor. Hesitating slightly, he waved his wand at the door again and cast another charm (just to be sure). Then, once he was sure it was safe, he unfolded the cloth and revealed the little square mirror. He saw his reflection looking back at him. His hair was falling to his shoulders, slightly messy from his rough morning of vomiting over the toilet seat. His face looked pale and sick but he felt loads better now with fresh air in the room. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"James."

His reflection vanished from the mirror instantly and he instead was looking at a dotted ceiling with shadows in a brightly lit room. He waited several moments, expecting the ceiling to move as the mirror would be picked up and placed upright. But the ceiling never moved. The mirror was never picked up and his friend's face never appeared in the reflection. Sirius waited a few more minutes before giving up and thrusting the mirror back into the velvety cloth and tossing it safely in his drawer again.

James was obviously still upset for whatever reason. Sirius sighed. So much for getting his mind off of things...

At about half past eleven, Sirius finally got up from bed and cleaned himself up. He went downstairs, feeling a lot better than he had that morning, and found servants everywhere, apparently preparing for the big Christmas feast they were to have that evening. But Draco and Regulus, the people he came down there for, were nowhere to be found.

Confused, Sirius looked around, trying to see something past all the shimmering decorations in the corridors and on the stairs. At that moment, Katherine entered the corridor, carrying a silver tray with various pastries. At the sight of Sirius, she stopped at once and bowed before him, muttering 'Master Sirius' in that perturbed worshipping voice he'd always loathed.

"Where is Draco?" Sirius asked her.

Katherine stood upright again. "Master Draco and Master Regulus are outside, sir."

Sirius looked round at the front door and then back at Katherine. "Outside?"

"Outside, sir," she repeated, bowing again before retreating to the dining room.

Sirius frowned and walked over to the sitting room window to glimpse the street where the front of the house could be seen. Indeed, Draco and Regulus were outside. Dressed warmly from head to toe, they were taking turns sliding down the small icy hill. They were... _laughing._ In fact, they looked like they were having the time of their lives. Sirius remained at the window, watching them, his forehead slightly pressed against the ice cold window. At one point, Draco fell over laughing and his eyes wandered to the window where Sirius was watching. His smile faltered only a little and he waved Sirius over. But Sirius shook his head and walked away from the window. He had no intention of going outside to play in the snow with his _brother._

Instead, he began wandering the house, passing by random servants and ignoring them as they each bowed before him and constantly offered him their services. By noon, he found himself in the drawing room on the first floor, standing before the family tree tapestry and glaring at all those names. His eyes wandered over them, his mood worsening with each one that he read, and he slowly allowed himself to think the very thought he'd forbidden himself to think since his arrival earlier that week...

...perhaps Draco was most at-home here because _this_ was where he belonged...and _these_ were his kinds of people.

Perhaps, Sirius shuddered to think, there was something wrong with _him_ instead of with his family. He'd honestly thought Draco to be a decent person. Hell, he _was_ a decent person. But that week, Sirius had seen it firsthand...how well Draco had gotten along with _his_ parents. How comfortable he felt bossing around _his_ servants. How at-home he felt in _his_ house. So maybe it was true. Maybe _Sirius_ was the problem here after all.

His eyes fell on his own name at the bottom of the tree and he bit his lip as he frowned down at it. For nearly all his life, he'd felt like an outsider. He'd never truly felt himself. At family functions, he'd felt isolated. At family dinners, he'd felt different. It was only at Hogwarts that he was able to truly be himself. But what did that matter? Hogwarts was only a temporary solution. He was a Black for life.

Sirius stayed shut up in the drawing room for virtually the rest of the afternoon and only snapped out of his daze when he heard noises from the end of the corridor and realized that his parents were home. The Christmas Eve feast was going to start soon. He glanced at the windows where it was already dark out and then looked one last time at the tapestry before leaving. Just when he reached the end of the corridor, he heard voices and froze in the shadows, holding in his breath.

"You needn't worry about that because there cannot exist a world where Draco takes after _Sirius..._ not if _I_ have anything to say about it."

"I know you think you've got it under control, Orion, but you don't," his mother was saying now. "You do not spend nine, ten months out of the year at Hogwarts with that son of yours." She let out a laugh. "And, while we're on the subject, let us not forget what _other_ toxic influences remain at that school."

"Oh I have not forgotten about _those_ influences," Orion assured her, making Sirius wonder if they could possibly be talking about Dumbledore. "But _you_ seem to have forgotten how to have faith in me." There was silence. "Walburga, everything will work out exactly the way it is supposed to. I will not let that _scum_ try to ruin another Black."

Sirius turned away and walked back to the end of the corridor, deciding that he'd heard enough of this. It was like it was happening all over again. Draco right now, was Sirius six years ago. He was that naïve, carefree boy, thinking that all the riches and delicacies that he was bathed in would not come with strings attached...thinking that things like love and sincerity actually existed at number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Sirius waited until he heard footsteps climbing up the stairs. Then, he slowly walked back along the corridor and waited in the entranceway some more until he deemed it safe to return to his bedroom, where he was going to stay shut up for the rest of the night. He had absolutely no intention whatsoever of attending some fake Christmas Eve feast and pretending that he was happy to be celebrating with these people when he clearly was not. And they didn't want his presence there any more than he did anyway, so it was a win-win situation.

He hurried up the stairs, dodged the second floor as quickly as he could so as not to run into his mother, and pushed past Kreacher on the topmost floor until he reached his bedroom door. The trouble was, there was already someone inside.

"Can I help you?" Sirius declared, shutting the door behind him with a loud bang.

His mother turned to look at him, a letter in her hand.

"Oh," she said, feigning curiosity, "You _are_ alive." She paused, eyeing him coldly. "I was beginning to think you'd run off to die somewhere."

"Oh you'd love for that to happen, would you?" Sirius muttered.

"Hmm," his mother said, looking down at the letter in her hands again.

Behind her, Sirius noticed his window open and an owl sitting on the ledge, watching him. He looked back at his mother and then down at the letter.

"What are you doing in my room, mother?"

She looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I don't recall us coming to an agreement that I wasn't allowed up here."

"We came to that agreement years ago, in case you never noticed," Sirius snapped back.

"Did we?" she said without looking at him. "I must've missed that. Next time, put it in writing."

Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but then his eyes snapped back to the owl on the window ledge. She had done some really low stuff before, but this...barging into his room like this...He looked round at the closed door behind him and then back at his mother.

"This is _my_ room."

"Yes, but it is _my_ house," she said.

"How...you don't have grounds to be here." This certainly got her attention. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and put her hands together behind her back, still holding the letter.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that...you need to leave!"

Her face instantly changed. She took four steps towards Sirius and looked him directly in the eye. "Now that's enough of that. I will not be spoken to like that in my own house and that is final."

Sirius looked away from her but she grabbed his chin with her long fingers and turned his face to her direction again.

"Do I make myself clear?" she hissed.

Sirius shoved her arm away and walked further into the room, turning his back on her. He walked towards the owl and stopped just in front of it, looking down at its large eyes.

"Look at me when I am talking to you," he heard his mother say, but he couldn't look away from the owl. It stared at him with such curiosity...as though _it_ were wondering why he was still here, taking this.

"Sirius Orion Black," his mother said in a bolder tone.

Sirius turned to look at her.

"What is that?" he said plainly, looking at the letter in her hands.

"What, this?" she said, raising her arm and waving the letter in front of her so that Sirius could see it clearly. "This is proof of where you belong. _This_ was written by _scum._ And _you_ belong with _scum."_

"Hah, nothing I've never heard before," Sirius said, folding his arms in front of him.

His mother's face changed again and he smiled. "That's right, mother. You've already said every painful thing imaginable to me. There is literally nothing left that you could say that'll hurt me more than everything you've said in the past. You've reached your limit, so you'd best stop trying because it's all already old." He paused and looked at her with a serious face. "As are you."

Her reaction was not one he'd expected. He'd expected her to yell, curse, jinx him even. But instead, she let out a cold laugh...one he'd grown to recognize fairly well. He frowned at her but she took a few steps towards him, while he took a careful one back.

"So the little boy has finally learned to talk back to his mummy," Walburga mocked. "What'll I ever do now?" Sirius glared at her and she smiled cruelly. "Oh, shall I summon Kreacher to come to my defense? Oh Kreacher! Kreacher!"

There was a loud CRACK and Kreacher appeared in the middle of the room, bowing low before Walburga.

"Mistress summoned Kreacher?" he croaked.

"Yes Kreacher, it seems that my son has finally developed the balls to stand up to his mother," Walburga said, her eyes on Sirius the entire time.

He scowled at her, a hot, fiery ball of fury burning in the very core that was supposed to be his heart.

"My son," she continued, taking more steps towards him, "The gentle little _Gryffindor,_ is finally going to give me what I deserve."

She waved the letter in front of him more and he reached out to grab it from her but she pulled it away just in time, cackling with laughter. She then grew serious again and leaned forward, standing just inches away from him.

"Don't you get it?" she said in a quieter voice now. "You are not _worth_ anyone's breath." She shoved the now-crumpled letter up against his chest and he caught it, still looking at her. "You won't amount to anything, no matter what you ever do. And I will be the first person to celebrate when you fall."

"What, all because I'm not the son you wanted?" Sirius managed to say. "That's very motherly of you."

"Don't you talk to me like that," she warned. "You were never a son of mine, and we both know it."

"So then why keep me here?"

There was a pause and that cruel smile crossed Walburga's face once again. "Believe me, if it weren't for ancient magic, you'd be long gone."

Sirius swallowed hard and moved past her to the other side of the room, pushing Kreacher in the process. The elf stammered slightly but said nothing. It just stood there next to its mistress.

"Good to know," Sirius said, stopping just by the door and shoving the unread letter into his pocket. He could hear Draco's and Regulus's voices downstairs. They were laughing about something again, unaware and unconcerned about what was happening up here. He took a deep breath and turned to look at the stranger standing in front of him. "Was there anything else you wanted, ma'am?"

"Yes," she said, folding her arms in front of her. "I want your word that you will stay away from Draco."

Sirius shook his head before she was even finished saying the words. Her face grew angrier.

"Your word," she repeated, in a tone full of warning.

"That's not gonna happen," Sirius promised.

"You have no authority—"

"Man, have you got your wires crossed!" Sirius laughed. His mother stared at him. "It's _you_ who's got no authority telling me what to do! You said it yourself, you are not my mother! Maybe once you were, back when you thought I was someone else. But you haven't been my mother in a long time and never, _not in a million years_ , will I _ever_ consider you—"

"I don't bloody care what you think!" she finally cried, her arms unfolded. She marched up to Sirius unexpectedly and pointed a finger at him. "I WANT YOUR WORD!"

Finally, it hit Sirius. She really didn't care. He could die right there and then and she wouldn't shed a tear. It was Draco whom she cared about now. Draco who was the fresh meat. Draco who would be her brand new toy and creation. All she needed was guarantee that no one would take her new toy away from her, like Sirius had threatened but failed to do with Regulus, years ago.

His mother lowered her finger and glared at her son, waiting. Sirius glared back, every fibre of his being hating the woman in front of him. And it was with this hatred that he was finally able to say the words he'd wanted to say nearly his whole life. The words that he should've said a long time ago but had always stopped, keeping a shred of hope that it would one day change. Now knowing that that possibility had never existed, Sirius buried his glare in his mother's eyes.

"Go—to—hell."

Her hand flew across his face so fast he couldn't even register what had happened. Between that, Kreacher's yell, and the fiery ball exploding inside of Sirius's chest, he felt himself growl and was on all fours again. Forgetting reason and forgetting purpose, he pushed past his mother, and barked his way towards the window. He shoved Kreacher aside with all his strength, landing the elf on its back way on the other side of the room. Sirius flew through the window, forgetting the shattering glass and the way it prickled his skin as he hit the snow below. He did not stop growling and did not stop to rid himself of the shards of glass now piercing his fur. He did not stop to clean off the blood that was now dripping on the clean sheets of freshly fallen snow. He did not stop to try and wipe the tears flowing from his big, round black eyes. He just ran.

And the more he ran, the more afraid he became. His heart was nearly ready to burst from his chest, not from how fast it was beating, not even from how cold it was, but from how much pain it felt.

By the time he'd reached Drayton Park, he'd slowed to a walk and was fully ready to pass out from how much his body ached from the fall. He stopped just under the bridge and took a good look around the empty railway. No one. Nothing. It was dark. What's more, it was Christmas Eve. No one in their right mind would be wandering around some bridge at that time.

Transformed back, Sirius limped his way to the steps at the end and sat down, groaning and grunting at the pain. His breath hitched as he pulled several shards of glass from his left arm and the bottom of his leg. The biggest shard of all was right in his ankle and he bit his knuckle hard as he pulled it out with all his strength, letting out a loud groan which echoed throughout the tunnel.

Not caring that it was bloody freezing out, he used whatever strength he had left to rip the hem of his undershirt and tie the material to the biggest wounds, all of which were in his leg. Then, he groaned again and rested his head against the frozen railing.

Time was no longer a factor. He had no clue how long it had taken him to get there. All he knew was that it was cold, it was dark, and there was not a soul in sight.

Sometime after he'd sat down to nurse his wounds, he heard an owl hoot in the distance and was instantly reminded of the letter still crumpled up in his pocket. He hissed at the pain of pulling it out and groaned as he rested back in his previous position, now unfolding the letter and squinting down at the slanted, miniscule writing which could only belong to one person.

 _Dear Padfoot,_

 _I feel fine so you can stop worrying now. Let me remind you that I've done this before. Loads of times. It's always a bit easier at home than it is at school, I'll tell you that. Also, my parents send their best._

 _I must admit I was rather worried to hear from you so soon. I thought it'd be at least a week before something happened, but your letter was at least reassuring that everything is alright. Then again, with the way your parents are, you never know._

 _I hope you are doing what you promised me and giving Draco his space to find the answers that he needs. He is just as Black as you are so it's his right to find everything out in his own time and in his own way. You can't influence him too much, Sirius, or he'll later resent you for it._

 _About what you said regarding the family tree, I have to say I agree with Regulus and your parents. Hah, I know, I never thought I'd say that either. And trust me, it doesn't mean I'll be coming over for tea anytime soon. But it's true. If Draco was unclaimed, then there would be no more reason for him to be on that tree than there is reason for James or Frank to be on there. Think about it._

 _You asked me if I saw the paper on Tuesday. Of course I did, and if I'm being honest here, I didn't expect anything less. The articles will get more scandalous as the week passes, mark my words. We all knew this was going to happen so it shouldn't be of any surprise to you. Just don't let it get to you, Sirius. It's nothing but rubbish talk. As long as we (the people who matter) know that, then it's all good._

 _I also think that you should give this wedding a chance, not for the celebrating of yet another Black marriage part, but for the possibility of seeing Andromeda again. You'll feel a lot better if you do, I know it._

 _Write again soon and try not to suffocate Draco too much. And try not to literally suffocate Kreacher._

 _Best wishes and a happy Christmas,_

 _Remus_

Sirius looked up from the letter, his eyes landing upon an old lamppost whose fire had burnt out long ago.

"Happy Christmas to you too," he said out loud.

At least a half hour must've passed, even though Sirius had no way of telling. The trains didn't seem to be working. Probably because of it being Christmas Eve and all. But nonetheless, he forced himself to his feet and held onto the railing, looking around the deserted tunnel. He had left so soon, so fast, he hadn't given it a thought. He hadn't thought about the possibilities of where he would go. He hadn't thought about how much that fall would hurt, that was for sure. He hadn't even given his wand a thought, which was lying safely in the drawer of his bedside table, back in his room at number 12 Grimmauld Place.

His wand, his clothes...his books, his precious posters...his two-way mirror...

Sirius grunted as he pocketed the letter once again and sucked in his breath, transforming.

Back on all fours, he sat there for a few more minutes before summoning up whatever strength he had left and departing from Drayton Park.

As he ran as fast as his paws would take him, he forbid himself from thinking about the pain issuing from all over his body. He forbid himself from thinking about what had happened tonight and how much it had shattered his heart. He forbid himself from thinking about how close his mother had gotten to finding out the truth about the nature of Remus's condition. Had one single detail about that letter revealed too much, and everything would be fucked.

He forbid himself from thinking about the fact that Draco was still trapped in the wraths of hell, and he was liking every minute of it. Sirius put all of that aside, throwing it as far from his brain as he possibly could, and just ran.

He didn't think about all the Christmas carolers that he passed, singing their joys and their delights into the snowy Christmas night. He didn't think about how much he'd give for food or even water right now. He didn't even think about whether tonight would be his last, given how much he was suffering and how little time he had left before his body gave in completely. He just ran.

And he only allowed himself to stop once he'd finally reached the bushes in front of a grand, brightly lit house in the middle of a grand, brightly lit street. He took several long, deep breaths and forced himself to transform. Then, dismissing the fact that his cloth-covered wounds were now bleeding harder than before thus staining the snow at his feet, dismissing the fact that his face was all scratched up and his lungs were unable to deliver another breath, he forced his feet to move forward one at a time until he stopped at the doorstep of the grand house.

The door flew open before he could even knock, let alone ring the doorbell. Sirius squinted as the light hit him hard in the face, and then his eyes filled with tears and blood again.

"Sirius, what happened?" were the last words he heard before he collapsed in James's arms.


	30. Black Listed

**AN : This chapter was written with quite a hefty surge of writer's block which, consequently, frustrated our author deeply. So we decided to look back on some of our conversations from when this story was in its early stages and realized. . . if only you guys knew just how weird we really are. But lucky for you, we're both equally weird and that weirdness enables us to create something that we're actually fairly proud of and hope you all continue to enjoy :) So, apologizing for the delay in an update, and sending out thanks once again for all the continued support and hope you all enjoy reading this chapter, which, fair warning, is quite emotional, kind of like the last. . . **

**Also to _LoverGurrl411_ : you were right, the moment had to come ;) **

**Also, credits to our buddy Walt Whitman. The quote could not be more relevant.**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 30: BLACK LISTED

"You don't want to do that," Regulus repeated as Draco sidestepped the broken glass and poked his head out the hole of the shattered window. It was a long jump down to the snow-covered ground, and even he knew that it'd be stupid to make that jump. But the little drops of blood littering the snow just below were enough to force the thought out of Draco's head. He pulled back into the room and looked round at the boy standing before him.

"You make that jump..." Regulus said, "...and you'll lose any and all of the respect you've gained from my parents so far."

Draco shook his head and turned back to the window. "I haven't had their respect for very long, so..."

"Draco," Regulus said, taking a step towards him. Draco turned to look at him, giving him a warning look not to come any closer. Regulus froze, taking a deep breath.

"Don't—do—this," he pleaded. "You have to know that it's a bad idea. You have to."

"The only thing I have to know right now is where Sirius is at," Draco argued. "And the fact that it doesn't seem to affect _you_ very much is _really_ concerning to me, Regulus."

"You don't think I'm affected?!" Regulus cried, his jaw dropped. "Draco, I am... _mortified_ that the person responsible for tonight is my mother. OKAY? I've known her my entire life; she has never stooped this low. It isn't like her. So don't make the mistake of thinking that I'm unaffected by tonight—"

"Okay," Draco interrupted before Regulus could continue his little speech. "Okay, it's fine, I just..." he turned back to the window. "I just need to know that he's okay."

"I do too," Regulus went on. "But please, not like this. Okay? If you just run out after him right now, you're gonna only further complicate things."

Draco stared at the snow for another long minute before sighing and turning to Regulus, nodding.

"Alright," he said, his arms waving in forfeit. "So what's your big plan?"

"I..." said Regulus, looking stunned. "I mean, we can figure one out together, right?"

"Subtle," Draco said, moving past Regulus and stopping at the closed door of Sirius's bedroom.

"Look, we can just—"

"Shh."

"Draco, I just don't think that—"

"Shh!"

Draco spun round to give Regulus a warning look and Regulus stared at him. Draco slowly brought a finger to his lips and then crept over to the door and placed his ear against it. Regulus followed suit.

Downstairs, someone seemed to be having some sort of a fit. There was a mixture of shouting and thumping and clashing, like things were being thrown around.

"Let's get more down below," Regulus whispered, opening the door very quietly and slipping through. Draco meant to stop him but instead found himself following him. They crept along the corridor as silently as they could until they reached the top of the landing.

Regulus looked round at Draco in the darkness.

"Step only on the ones I step on!" he hissed, waving Draco to follow him. Draco hesitated but stepped on the same steps that Regulus did, none of which creaked even in the slightest. As they went, Draco couldn't help but wonder how many times Regulus had done this before with Sirius.

They only stopped once they were at the end of the second floor, where sure enough, they could hear the details of the conversation between Orion and Walburga in what looked to be the main entrance of the house. Regulus knelt down on the stairs and Draco did the same, his heart pounding as he listened to Walburga say the meanest things anyone has ever said about their own child. Orion however, seemed to be more outraged than her, even if he wasn't being so vocal about it.

"I want to know who taught him how to transform," Walburga declared, "And whoever that is, is going to be dealt with immediately. I shall send a letter first thing in the morning."

Draco shifted slightly on the stairs, not wanting to miss a single word.

"The only letter we are going to be sending now is to those nosey reporters," Orion contradicted. "That boy is bound to get into trouble tonight and this family has been in the papers far too much recently to add this to the resume."

"What are you suggesting?" Walburga snapped. "What, you want to run out and find the boy yourself? Bring him back here and lock him up so he doesn't embarrass the Black name even more than he already has? You be my guest then. But I warn you, Orion—if you bring him back here, I'll kill him myself."

"LIONEL!" Orion called.

Draco's heart skipped a beat now. Would he do it? Would Orion surely go out to look for Sirius and then bring him back here, kicking and screaming, or worse, completely hexed out of it? Draco feared thinking about the extremes that the Black parents would go to, to keep their son grounded.

"Master?" came Lionel's voice.

"Red wine for my wife," Orion declared.

Draco breathed.

Several silent minutes later, Walburga spoke again, in a much calmer but still firm voice.

"I don't want him ever stepping foot in this house again."

"He won't," Orion said. "He may be scum but he is not stupid scum. He knows what will happen if he returns."

Regulus looked round at Draco in the darkness but Draco said nothing. What could he say? Sirius had really done it this time. Where the hell was he now and was he even alive? An image of all that blood on the snow almost made Draco stand up, but he stopped himself at the sound of Orion's voice again.

"...I will alert the right people so we can keep this out of the papers at least for tomorrow."

"No one is going to release any papers on Christmas Day, don't be ridiculous," Walburga snapped. "We have two days. Two days to figure this out and in the meantime, we need to take every precaution necessary to keep this scandal within our immediate family _only._ "

There was silence. Then, Orion called Alistair into the room.

"Sir," came Alistair's voice nearly seconds later.

"I want every living soul in this house gathered in the sitting room in precisely five minutes."

Alistair hurried out of the room and Draco and Regulus exchanged another worried look. Then, the large clock in the sitting room began ringing throughout the house again. Draco looked down at his watch. Nine thirty seven.

"Come on," Regulus said to his ear, pushing Draco to his feet. "It's the call. We've gotta go."

"The what?" said Draco but he followed Regulus down the stairs anyway.

Draco squinted slightly at the brightly lit sitting room but nevertheless followed Regulus inside and lined up next to him, just at the center of the line of servants now standing in a row. Draco was careful to keep his eyes anywhere but on Orion and Walburga, who were standing at the front of the room side to side. Never, in all his life, had he ever had to do this in his own home.

"I trust you all know what happened here this evening," Orion began, once everyone (even Kreacher) was in the room. No one said a word or even reacted to Orion. They all kept their eyes on the floor and their hands behind their backs. Orion cleared his throat again. "Tonight's events are not to leave this house by anyone but myself or my wife."

He looked at Walburga who set down her drink without a word. Then, Orion looked back at the servants and slowly began to walk along the line.

"If," he said, his voice low but serious, "For any reason, any at all, I find myself waking up tomorrow morning to an early edition of the paper with this family's name in the headlines... if I receive a letter from any of my friends or relatives, asking what happened to dear Sirius...if I receive word from the ministry that they'd like to investigate my eldest son's absence...whoever is responsible for losing their tongue will lose far more, I can promise you that."

None of the servants shifted. It was completely still and silent in the room.

"I will make you live to regret this mistake. _I_ will be the reason that you are personally introduced to the Dark Lord."

Draco kept his eyes on the ground as Orion stopped before him.

"As for you two boys," he said, placing a hand on each of their shoulders, causing Draco to look up at him, "I want you to trust that Walburga and I will handle this. You don't have to do anything."

"Yes, father," Regulus responded. Orion nodded at him and his eyes fell on Draco.

"You boys focus on other things for now," he said, his voice calm and assuring, "Like the upcoming wedding."

Draco nodded.

"Good man," said Orion, patting his shoulder once. He turned back to the servants and gave a nod. "Dismissed." He turned back to Lionel, who was standing at the door. "Everything on the table?"

"Yes sir, everything as requested," said Lionel.

"Good," said Orion, turning back to Draco and Regulus. "Let us go have that feast."

Draco and Regulus returned to Sirius's room after the Christmas Feast and shut the door firmly behind them. Then, Draco pulled out his wand to try and fix the window, but Regulus stopped him at once.

"You don't want to attract ministry attention tonight," he said, pulling Draco's wand from his fingers and setting it on the dressing table.

"What..."

"You're not of age yet, you can't do magic outside of school," Regulus explained. "If you do, the ministry will know and they'll send a letter."

"But I'm—" said Draco, suddenly stopping himself just at the tipping point and coughing instead before adding, "I mean, how would they know who used magic in the house?"

"That's why they would send a letter, not a person," said Regulus, disregarding Draco's moment of weirdness and taking a seat on Sirius's bed instead, a frown on his face. "Damn, you'd think that after living with Dumbledore your whole life, you'd know these things."

Draco frowned, feeling sure that things weren't like that in his own timeline.

"I..." he said, turning back to the window again. "I didn't live _with_ him."

"Right," said Regulus. "Sorry, forgot."

Draco's eyes fell on the blood again and then he grabbed a random sweater from one of the nearby drawers and hung it up so that it covered the view of the shattered glass. He knew it wouldn't help with the cold tonight, but he figured it'd be better than to ask the Blacks to fix the window tomorrow. Any excuse to keep them out of Sirius' room, that was for sure.

He turned to look at Regulus, who was thinking long and hard about something and had his eyes on some random point on the floor.

"Has he ever done this before?" Draco asked, causing Regulus to look up at him.

"No," he answered a minute later. "He joked about it, threatened it a lot, but never actually went through with it."

Draco nodded and looked at his watch again. Eleven forty eight. Wherever Sirius was right now, surely he was able to write or send word...he knew how to produce the Patronus Charm and he was of age. If he cared at all, he would at least be able to do that...But then Draco took a seat in one of the armchairs to stop himself pacing and placed his head in his hands. Wherever Sirius was right now, he was hurt. Nothing else mattered.

"How was it?" Regulus asked, catching Draco off guard. He looked up.

"How was what?"

"Living with Dumbledore," said Regulus. "Being raised by him and all...I just realized that I never did ask you."

Draco looked absolutely stunned as he stared at Regulus, not knowing what to say. He hadn't expected this question, tonight of all nights, and his lying game wasn't very good when he was anxious. All that was on his mind right now was Sirius, and he knew that because of this, he'd blurt out something stupid right now which he would surely have to pay for later.

"I..." he said, realizing that Regulus was still watching him and waiting for an answer. He looked eager too...like this was something that he'd been curious about for a long time now. "I dunno man, it's...it's been a long night, can't we just...?"

"I'm just trying to lighten up the mood a little," Regulus said quickly. "Admit it, it got your mind off of Sirius for a second there, didn't it?" Draco opened his mouth but nothing came out. Regulus nodded once. "Look, I'm worried too. I am. But we can't leave right now. You know we can't. So what good will it do to stay up all night and worry our heads off?"

"It'll give me something to do, that's what," Draco muttered, looking away from him.

"Seriously though," said Regulus. "What was it like?"

Draco sighed and turned back to him, feeling lazy and tired but still extremely alert, not to mention anxious.

"It was just how you'd expect it to be...h-he's _Dumbledore_ , you know? I was raised to really value, like, all kinds of magic, not just one thing. Though I guess I was more inclined towards potions and like alchemy and stuff because that's more of the stuff Dumbledore taught me, even though he used to profess transfiguration of all things... but anyway, it wasn't anything extraordinary. Yeah, guess you wouldn't say it was your typical ordinary childhood. But I didn't see him every day, you know?"

"You didn't?" said Regulus, his eyebrows raised.

"Nah man, he was far too busy for that," said Draco, sitting back against the armchair and sighing deeply before adding, "Maybe just every other day."

Regulus let out a laugh and Draco found himself able to smile.

They sat in silence for the next little while. At some point, Regulus lay back on Sirius's bed and spent the longest time staring up at the ceiling and not saying anything. Draco stood up from the armchair several times and paced the room until he got tired and sat back down. He kept checking the window too, in case Sirius came crawling back up, however unlikely that was.

When the large grandfather clock downstairs started to chime half past midnight, Regulus sat up and met Draco's eyes.

"What?" said Draco.

"Do you think he's okay?" Regulus asked in a very small voice.

Draco let his mouth drop a little. Indeed, what _was_ the answer to that question? Was Sirius okay? They had no way of knowing where he was or how he was. All they knew was that he wasn't here and his parents cared more about keeping this news out of the public eye than anything else.

"Y-yeah," Draco finally answered, unconvincingly. "Yeah, he's fine."

Regulus nodded and fell back on the bed again.

"So um," said Draco, shifting in his seat, "Is Alistair ever planning on shutting that thing off or are we gonna listen to it chime all night?"

Regulus let out a soft laugh. "Yeah. Guess he's a bit distracted tonight."

"We all are," Draco wanted to say, but decided against it. Regulus's mood had worsened significantly in just a matter of forty minutes or so.

By twenty to one, Draco started pacing the room again, doubting that he'd get much sleep tonight. And Regulus sat up on the bed and started tapping his foot nervously. Neither of them said anything. They weren't even sure what they were waiting for. But the thought of doing anything else but waiting around in Sirius's room didn't appeal to either of them, so that was exactly what they continued to do. Wait.

And it was useless waiting too. It wasn't likely that Sirius would climb up the window now and be all, "Oh sorry guys, false alarm. I'm back." Orion was right. He wasn't stupid. If he was out, he was out. He was never going to return.

"Did you know?" Regulus said quietly as Draco continued to wander the room.

"Know what?" Draco said absentmindedly, picking up a miniature sculpture of some winged creature and rotating it in his hand.

"Know that he's an animagus..." Regulus said.

Draco paused.

"You didn't seem all that surprised when my mother told my father," Regulus went on. "I just have a feeling that you knew."

Draco turned slowly on the spot, still holding the sculpture, and his eyes fell on Regulus, sitting up on Sirius's bed with a worried expression.

"And something tells me that you are one too," Regulus said, even more quietly now.

A sad smile crossed Draco's face and his eyes shifted to where Sirius's sweater hung over the cracked window.

"I did know...found out recently though..." he turned back to Regulus. "But no, I am not an animagus as well."

Regulus closed his mouth and nodded, his eyes shifting down to the floor again. It was amazing how quickly he believed Draco. Even though, technically, Draco wasn't lying. He'd just conveniently neglected to mention the 'yet' part, but that was something to worry about later.

"Hey, um, Reg?" The boy lifted his head to look at him and Draco hesitated before adding, "Your mother seeing tonight that Sirius is...you know...it's not, I mean, it can't be good for him, can it?"

Regulus gave a slight shrug and looked away. "I can't understand it."

"Understand what?"

"Tonight. You know, what happened and all. I just can't understand it."

Draco turned back around and placed the sculpture on the dressing table before adding, very quietly, "I think it will be a while before any of us can understand it."

Before he could elaborate, Sirius's sweater pushed past the window, flying across the room and landing on the dresser. Draco and Regulus both jumped at once, wands out and fully alert. Sirius's sweater, which lay crumpled on the dresser, proceeded to move for several long seconds, while Draco and Regulus exchanged looks, until finally a tardy brown owl crawled out of it and fluttered its wings, looking mad as ever.

"Harry," Draco said, dropping his wand on the bed and hurrying over to the owl.

"Who?" said Regulus, lowering his own.

Draco lifted the owl's head and, sure enough, there was a scroll tied to its neck. He carefully lifted it off, minding the owl's teeth, and stepped away from the dresser, his hands shaking as he quickly unrolled the letter.

"It's James's owl," he explained without looking at Regulus.

When he finally managed the letter open, he felt a mixture of relief and disappointment, for the letter was reassuring, yes, but severely lacking in information.

"Well what is it?" Regulus urged as Draco looked up from the small piece of paper in his hands.

"It's Sirius," Draco said. "He's alright, he's fine. H-he's staying at a friend's."

"At the Potters' house?" said Regulus.

Draco nodded, sitting down on the bed. The owl gave him a sarcastic look and then fluttered back out of the window. Regulus looked around, confused, then grabbed Sirius's sweater again and placed it back over the window, tying it as carefully as he could so that the wind wouldn't make it flutter and fly.

"See? I told you everything would be fine," Draco finally said.

"Yeah," Regulus said, laughing lightly. He slipped his hands into his pockets and stood back against the dresser. "So he's alright then. That's good. I was beginning to think that we'd maybe have to send a message to St. Mungo's tomorrow and see if they admitted—"

"Regulus you should go to bed," Draco interrupted, forcing a puzzled expression on the boy's face. "It's nearly two and I'm dead tired. We know Sirius is okay so...let's just...sleep this off."

"Yeah okay," Regulus said, nodding. He shifted from the dresser and looked in the direction of the letter on Sirius's bed before nodding at Draco. "Try to get some sleep then."

"Good night," Draco said as Regulus left, closing the door behind him.

Once alone, Draco resumed his pacing, feeling more alert now than he did before and not even a little tired. It was amazing how, just an hour ago, he'd have given anything to hear some news of Sirius, but now that he had, he wondered if he'd have been better off not knowing anything at all.

Wandering around Sirius's room now, Draco found himself starting to panic again and began attempting to distract himself with little things he found. More miniature sculptures scattered about the room. Unique posters he hadn't noticed before. Pretty muggle girls whose eyes seemed to be following him everywhere he went. When none of that seemed to be helping, he sat down on the bed and started tapping his hands nervously on either side. The howling wind was trying to force Sirius's sweater out of its place now, but Regulus seemed to have tied it pretty well. Still, Draco didn't risk charming it to its spot. He wasn't sure exactly how the whole time travel thing was supposed to work with his age, but he was _pretty sure_ he was already seventeen.

Feeling nervous again, he looked around without moving from the bed. His eyes fell on the bedside table and he pulled open the drawer. There were several things cluttered inside, but lying at the very top, catching Draco's attention at once, was Sirius's wand. He slowly pulled it out of the drawer and rotated it between his fingers. He had never had the experience of running away himself, but seeing Sirius go through with it was...surreal.

He'd left absolutely everything behind. It wasn't at all what Draco had always pictured running away to be like. He didn't have a bag packed somewhere in his room, ready to go at moment's notice. He didn't have goodbye speeches prepared or escape plans or exit routes. Sirius had really acted in the moment, forgetting everything. Leaving everything behind. He saw an opportunity and he got out. And somehow, Draco had never felt more jealous of anyone in his entire life...

...timelines combined.

He placed the wand safely back in the drawer and shut it tight, making a mental note to pack it with him at the end of the holidays. He then looked down at the note lying beside him.

 _Sirius is alright._

 _-J_

That was it. After five days of silence, that was all that James had to say. No 'What the hell happened over there?' No 'Are you sure you don't want to come here too?' Nothing. Just that Sirius was alright. Draco shoved the letter off of the bed and sighed in frustration. How dare James do this? Hadn't he earned just a little more respect than that by now?

There came another loud chime throughout the house, and at that point, Draco growled in frustration and threw himself off the bed, grabbing his wand on his way out of the room. He hurried down the stairs, silently cursing at Alistair for not taking care of that stupid clock.

When he got to the first floor however, he stopped himself from turning in the direction of the Sitting Room, because at the end of the long corridor, he saw that the door to the Drawing Room was open just a crack, which was something that never happened. Deciding that a little magic wouldn't hurt anyone, Draco lit the tip of his wand and slowly crept along the corridor, keeping as silent as possible. By the time he reached the crack of the door, he saw a little light illuminating from inside the room. A closer look told him that it was coming from a candle which Walburga was holding as she stood in the dark room and examined the family tapestry on the wall. Draco watched her for a while, wondering whether she did this every night or just tonight. And then, out of nowhere, she suddenly let out an uncharacteristic yell and shoved the candle at a bottom corner of the tapestry, thus darkening the room altogether.

 _"Nox,"_ Draco whispered at once and shoved himself up against the wall, holding in his breath.

Walburga stayed in the room for several more seconds before she stomped out of it... _crying._ She passed right by Draco in the darkness and hurried on up the stairs at the end of the corridor. Draco remained rooted to the spot for a long time (until he was absolutely sure that she was gone). Then, he slowly let himself breathe again and turned in the direction of the Drawing Room.

 _"Lumos,"_ he whispered, pushing the door open and walking into the empty room. Moonlight was coming in through the windows and the smell of burnt candle littered the room altogether. Draco pointed his wand at the tapestry and walked right up to it, stopping in front of the large black hole that had been burnt right into the wall, where just moments ago, Sirius's name had been proudly displayed as an equal member of the Black family.

Draco stared at the burn mark for a long time, forgetting all about the clock that chimed throughout the house several more times. He just stood there, his wand at his side, and stared at what would be Sirius's name on the tapestry, wondering just what exactly this meant for the future, and how he, Draco, was to blame.

When he awoke the next morning in Sirius's bed, it was to a strangely large pile of nicely wrapped, sparkling gifts. It took him a minute to register what day it was and why these gifts were piled on the bed. He slowly sat up, holding his head and feeling far more hungover than he'd felt earlier that week. He turned his head in the direction of the window with the sweater hanging over it and light peeking into the room. Finally remembering everything, Draco sat up more in bed and sighed deeply before his eyes fell on the long, poorly wrapped object lying on top of the pile of presents.

He shoved the covers aside and pulled the broom towards him, ripping off the rest of the wrapping and gasping in exhilaration. A brand new Thunderbolt VI. A newer, better version than what James and Sirius had, which were only the Thunderbolt V. Draco was pretty sure he'd only ever seen one other person with this broom, and it was the very same person who had decided to give it to him now.

Draco smiled briefly at the note that Regulus had scribbled, explaining that if he didn't join a team— _any team—_ soon, this broom would go to waste. If only he, Regulus, knew what kinds of brooms the future would offer...

A lump formed in Draco's throat. Now that he thought about it, Regulus never did come to know because he didn't live that long.

He gently placed the broom aside and picked a small package from the pile, tearing off the card attached to it.

 _Just a little something to sweeten your Christmas!_

 _Lily_

Draco frowned at the card and tore off the wrapper of the present to reveal a small package with different flavoured chocolate candies.

Odd.

He hadn't expected anything from her, and now that he'd gotten it, he felt even worse. Not because he hadn't shopped for her, but because he couldn't help but wonder if she'd shopped for any of the marauders. Well, Remus maybe. That thought actually made him feel slightly better now. He shoved the present away and pulled a slightly larger one towards him.

 _You probably already know everything in here, but I thought you'd like it anyway. Happy Christmas, mate._

 _Remus_

It was a fairly thick, golden bound book baring the title _Brewing and Searching—the Secret to a True Alchemist's Success._ The cover had a drawing of a brewing cauldron with potion bubbles coming out. Draco smiled. Remus really didn't know him one bit. But that was actually fairly funny to him. He moved on to the next present.

Peter. Frank. Alice. More candy packages, some nice words...Peter had even thrown in a fancy quill, which made Draco feel slightly bad about the not-so-nice quill that he himself had bought for Peter. Frank had also sported for a fanged frisbee, which was sort of great. Draco had always secretly wanted one.

He hated admitting it, but the more presents he opened, the more he felt like a child again, and was actually able to forget about the nightmare that was last night. He himself had had a hard few months, and for now, he would simply enjoy the fact that it was Christmas morning, and that he, Draco, had managed to reach many hearts in the little time that he'd spent in this timeline.

When he'd reached James's gift, he hesitated before unfolding the card. By the looks of the way James had been treating him lately, he'd honestly thought that he wouldn't send anything. But the card told him that whatever James had prepared for him, he'd prepared weeks, perhaps months ago.

 _So listen, even though you're kind of weird for not wanting to join the team, you're still our friend and you're still Sirius's family so technically you're my family too. We've had these tickets for months now but once you entered the picture we figured you'd be psyched to come with us. The game is on August 17 so you still have time to prepare yourself for how epic it's gonna be. By the way, whatever you got me better be good because this game was sold out three weeks ago and it took some serious pulling of strings to get you this ticket._

 _Happy Christmas, man._

 _James_

Draco's jaw merely dropped as he pulled out the colourful ticket from the envelope and stared at it. The silver letters plastered on the top were enough just to get his heart racing. A ticket for a seat in a match he had grown up hearing about, but had never ever _dreamed_ he would watch. The Appleby Arrows were playing the Falmouth Falcons that upcoming summer in the British and Irish Quidditch League. It was a match Draco had heard his father talk about many times whenever the subject of Quidditch had come up. And even though he already knew the end result of it, Draco also knew that there was no way in hell he was missing this game, if it meant that he would see his father there.

Now having something to look forward to this summer, he placed the ticket on the bedside table and grinned like a little child as he moved on to the next present.

Sirius had left a small package, which as Draco opened, he realized was wrapped very well indeed. The more wrapping paper he tore off, the more seemed to appear somehow. He was just starting to think that maybe Sirius had placed some kind of a spell on it when he finally reached the end foil. He carefully lifted it to reveal what looked to be the shard of a small mirror. The corners had been no doubt cast to avoid inflicting any cuts to the person handling the mirror, but it was still very obvious that the mirror had once been whole and complete. Draco frowned at his reflection and then picked up the note again.

 _It's a two-way mirror. James and I each have one. We use them to talk whenever those git teachers put us in separate detentions. Now you have one too, so I suppose it'll be three-way. Let the mischief commence..._

 _Sirius_

Draco frowned down at the object, realizing it was rare indeed but not quite sure how to work it. He gently placed it aside, next to his ticket, and then turned his head in the direction of another present which looked to be a book. Who on earth could this be from, if not Dumbledore...

But he was wrong. The note on the front told him that this was Severus's gift. Draco was almost startled as he tore off the wrapping paper. He hadn't expected Severus to shop for him at all. But then he revealed what looked to be his own copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ and frowned even more. He was right not to expect Severus to _shop_ for him.

He flipped open the book. Yep, sure enough.

 _Draco Black_ was written on the inside cover, in his own handwriting, just as he'd done back in September.

This made zero sense.

He flipped through the pages, not understanding until his eyes finally caught what was different about every page since the last time he'd touched this book. In fact, all this time, he'd been sure that this book lay on his bedside table...back in his dormitory at Hogwarts.

It was his book, alright. But every page was now positively _littered_ with notes upon notes and scribbled handwriting which he could only recognize as belonging to Severus. He frowned down at the miniscule writing, recognizing the formulas and the theories and the side notes. Then, he picked up the note from the wrapping again.

 _Now you have one too._

 _Severus_

Draco smiled. He couldn't believe that his friend had actually gone to the trouble of charming his own bloody copy of the book just to make it look like his.

There came a knock at the door, but before Draco could shove any of the things off of the bed, the door burst open and Regulus hopped in, looking thrilled and ecstatic. On his shoulder, sat an angelic-looking golden snidget, which was twisting its head around madly as Regulus hopped on over to the bed and grinned at Draco.

"THANK YOU," he beamed at him.

Draco smiled.

"Yeah, no problem, man."

"No seriously," Regulus repeated. "You have no idea...How did you even...I've _always_ wanted one!"

Draco laughed. "Happy Christmas to you too, Reg." He picked up the broom and smiled at the kid. "Thanks for this."

"Yeah, anytime, man!" Regulus cried, reaching up to tickle the little bird on his shoulder again.

Draco laughed again and sat back on the bed. "So d'you name him yet?"

Regulus laughed and looked at his shoulder again. "Nah, he's too cute and there are endless possibilities. I'll get a name soon, don't worry."

His eyes then fell on something on the bed and he exclaimed and picked it up.

"Whoa, you got one? That's great!"

"What?" said Draco, frowning at the white envelope that Regulus was now waving in the air, which come to think of it, Draco had failed to notice before. "What is that?"

"You don't know?" said Regulus, ripping it open and pulling out an official looking piece of paper. He turned it in his hands so that Draco could read it.

 _This certificate states that a trust fund has been opened in the name of Draco Black at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, with a current starter sum of ten thousand galleons. An additional three thousand galleons will be added to the fund at the end of each month from this day forward. The trust fund will be open to access when the guarantors, Orion Black and Walburga Black, declare the inheritor of age under common wizarding law. Until such time, the inheritor is granted a maximum withdrawal limit of one hundred galleons each month._

 _Signed, the goblin Gimmerick._

Draco looked up at Regulus.

"Ten _thousand_ galleons?" he whispered.

"Welcome to the family," Regulus smiled.

"Whoa," said Draco, taking the certificate in his hands and examining it more closely. Of all the presents...he really hadn't expected getting anything from the _Blacks._ His invitation to their home had been far too formal, even thought his gift itself was, although generous, very formal in itself. They hadn't included a personal message or acknowledged the occasion. It was simply more like. . .'Hey there, welcome to the family. Here's money. See you next year.' But somehow, Draco didn't care very much. Now, he finally had money again.

"Hey so we have to go, man," said Regulus, pulling Draco's focus away from his inheritance.

"Hmm?" he said.

"Yeah, Lionel is setting the table as we speak. Big Christmas breakfast, y'know..."

"But..."

"I'll tell them you're getting dressed, alright?"

Regulus hurried out the door with his golden snidget still on his shoulder.

Draco sighed. It felt totally and completely surreal, that one night could be so heartbreakingly tragic, yet the next morning exhilaratingly exciting. He pulled himself out of bed and cleaned up the mess that he'd caused on it, placing all his gifts on one of the armchairs in the corner of the room. He walked up to the window again and repositioned the sweater. Then, he moved around the room and pulled clothes on, trying to fix himself up in the mirror and look as professional and as Black-approving as he possibly could.

Just when he was about to walk out the door, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye...something that he'd missed. A small, unopened package was still lying on Sirius's bed with a tiny note attached to it. Draco frowned as he moved towards it and pulled the note out.

 _Pointing to another world will never stop vice among us; shedding light over this world can alone help us._

The note didn't have to be signed for Draco to know who it was from. Even in his sleep, he'd be able to recognize that perfect slanted handwriting. Draco put down the note and lifted the carefully wrapped package, tearing it slowly to reveal some kind of purple cloth. He put down the wrapping, unfolded the cloth as well, and pulled out a small silver object which he rotated in his hand for a moment. It looked kind of like one of those things muggles liked to use to light their cigarettes, but somehow, Draco doubted that's what this actually was. Dumbledore had his issues, that was true, and sometimes, Draco wondered just how disturbed he actually was. But if there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that Dumbledore would never gift him a _cigarette lighter_ for Christmas.

"Oy Draco!" Regulus said, popping his head back into the room. "You comin'?"

"Yeah," Draco said instantly, tossing the strange lighter thing into his pile of gifts and following after Regulus.

That weekend at Grimmauld Place had to be the worst weekend Draco had ever had to endure. Things were far too awkward and quiet for his liking. He felt like a ghost, wandering about the house trying not to draw attention to himself. And it didn't help the matter at all that Orion and Walburga were pretending like nothing had happened. They had breakfast with the boys on Christmas morning and by afternoon, all the decorations were taken down and the house was back to its usual, ancestral state.

On the whole, Draco was able to calm down since the aftermath of Sirius running away from home. He did however get miniature surges of panic every once in a while when the fact hit him hard. Lucky for him though, Regulus didn't notice. He was far too busy enjoying his golden snidget, whom he'd chosen to call Ferris and carried on his shoulder everywhere he went.

But even Draco couldn't hide the fact that the marauders' lack of communication over the holidays was affecting him deeply. He felt more genuinely ticked off, especially at how James had responded to the whole situation. By Saturday night though, he couldn't resist picking up a quill and writing out a hurried letter to Remus, which he shipped with one of the many owls at the Black family's service. Ever since his arrival in this timeline, Draco had found that Remus had been more gracious and open-minded than the other boys. He was like a miniature Dumbledore in that way. So if any of the boys were going to assure him that Sirius running away was not his fault, then it would be Remus.

For most of the weekend, Draco kept to Regulus's side, hanging out around the house, playing more wizard's chess but mostly spending time in Regulus's bedroom (which Draco had grown to admire very much). It was slightly smaller than Sirius's room, but definitely just as littered with things that outlined his personality perfectly. The walls, windows and bed were draped with emerald and silver, the trademark colours of Slytherin. He also had his family motto painted on the wall just over his bed in black, cursive letters. It was very 'Regulus' of him to have it there, but Draco was far too distracted by the whole Sirius scandal to care very much about anything else now. He did however make a mental note to mention it to Regulus later. Having grown up in Regulus's shoes exactly, Draco realized now how similar their childhood bedrooms were, and this fact alone annoyed him a great deal.

"Alistair said that mother and father will be out for most of the day so we can do whatever we want basically," Regulus announced after breakfast on Sunday.

"Great," said Draco without looking up from the Morning Prophet.

Indeed, nothing Black-family-related had been reported on in the past few days, and Draco was mighty glad so as well, because the way Orion had threatened them...well, Draco himself wouldn't want to challenge him.

It was funny actually, how little Orion reminded him of his own father. At first, he'd thought they'd be completely alike. But now that he'd gotten to know Orion a little more, he was far more grateful to have grown up with his own father than with this one. Never, in all his years growing up in that house, had he ever felt _afraid_ of living amongst his parents. He'd felt nervous at times, anxious even, and definitely always willing to do whatever he could to please them. He'd gotten his fair share of smacks, that was for sure. But he couldn't recall ever feeling scared of them or wanting to run away...at least, not until last year when things got...messy. And even that, he couldn't blame them for.

"Draaaco?"

"Hmm?"

"It's your turn."

"Oh."

Draco looked down at the chessboard in front of him and frowned. "Rook to E5."

"What's on your mind?" Regulus asked, giving Ferris a little pat before shrugging him off and looking down at the chessboard.

"Just thinkin'," Draco shrugged, watching his beaten up rook be carried out of the chessboard by one of Regulus's knights.

"What about?" Regulus said without looking up.

"Somethin' that Sev told me a while ago actually," Draco said, catching his attention at once. Regulus looked up at him with anticipation. "He mentioned that a lotta you Slytherins carry secondary wands."

"Yeah...?"

"Do you?"

Regulus smiled. "Nah, I have a very decent wand. I've no need for a second one."

"Well Sev said that—"

"Sev needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut," Regulus interrupted in a would-be calm sort of voice that struck Draco as odd.

"Sorry," he mumbled at the look that Draco gave him now. "It's just...they've been tryin' to get me to buy a second wand for ages now and I don't really want to." He paused and looked at Draco. "Don't tell anyone this, but I feel a kind of...loyalty to my wand, y'know? And um, if I got another one or a third one, it'd feel like I was cheating and I don't wanna do that."

"I get it," said Draco, quickly. "I was just wondering 'cause I caught Sev with the second wand and I hadn't realized...I mean they're expensive...and your—um, I mean _our_ family, is rich so it wouldn't be a problem for you..."

"True," said Regulus, moving one of his pieces on the chessboard, "But it's not like Sev bought that second wand for himself."

"He didn't?"

"Nah man, that was Wilkes' gift to him."

 _"It was?!"_

Regulus looked up at Draco with a curious expression. "I thought he'd told you."

"No," Draco shook his head. "He didn't."

"Oops," said Regulus, pausing. "You—"

"I won't say anything, relax," said Draco at once. There was silence. He moved one of his pieces and then sat back against the wall and looked at Regulus. "So why didn't Wilkes get you a wand too?"

"I never said he didn't," said Regulus without looking at him. "I just said that I haven't accepted any secondary wands over the years."

Draco frowned, wondering if that meant that Regulus indeed was a little different from that troubled group of boys and that there was indeed hope for him after all.

"Hey, Reg?"

"Yeah?"

"Severus told me a while ago about...about how you guys all got to know each other."

"Mhm," said Regulus, too concentrated on the game to really hear what Draco was saying.

"...and um, I asked him how _you_ specifically entered that group of friends..." Draco continued.

This time, Regulus stopped and actually looked up at him, finally understanding what he was getting at.

"And what did Severus tell you?" he finally asked in a small voice when Draco didn't continue.

"Nothing," Draco assured him at once. "He said he'd rather you told me, if I really wanted to know, that is."

"I see," said Regulus, looking down at his lap before adding, "And now you're sayin' you want to know..."

"Well," said Draco, giving a light nod.

Regulus nodded too.

"I suppose I can't blame you for being curious," he began, crossing his legs on the carpet and his voice entering story mode. Draco sat up too. "I assume Sirius has told you about what happened after I was sorted into Slytherin."

"He only said that you guys stopped talking after Christmastime," said Draco, "That you'd given it your best effort to keep in touch but by then, you'd both sort of just given up."

"Not exactly," said Regulus, shaking his head. "I mean, yeah that was obviously part of it but not the full reason."

"I'm listening," said Draco, eager to hear every part of this.

Regulus sighed again. "Well around Christmastime was when I started to really get to know some of these guys, y'know? Before that, I'd only spoken with Severus and by then he'd become a good friend. But Sirius and his friends had this war going on with Severus so it made it hard to talk to him. And Wilkes...well, he was interested in me the moment I started at Hogwarts and he kept trying to get me to have lunch with him and his mates or to hang out with them in the common room."

"Did you?"

"No," said Regulus in a quiet voice. "I was very intimidated by him at the time. Sirius had warned me about the Slytherins and I didn't listen to him one bit, but when it came to Wilkes, I kept my distance because he felt...well, off. And besides, I just kept hearing Sirius's voice in my head every time Wilkes tried to talk to me. He was a third year kid and probably the scariest one I knew."

"So what happened?"

Regulus paused and looked around the room again. Draco started.

"Not here," Regulus finally said, getting up from the carpet.

"Fine, let's go outside then," said Draco, following suit. "I have to take back that tie anyway. It's appalling. We'll go to that antique shop again."

They left the chessboard for Alistair to clean up and hurried to get their winter stuff before bolting out the door. Outside, the cool winter air actually made Draco shiver and he bundled up as best as he could, his tie in a bag. It was an odd sensation, walking the muggle streets with Regulus. Last time they'd done that, Sirius had been with them.

"So you were saying...?" Draco said once they were finally a safe distance from Grimmauld Place.

"Right," said Regulus, looking at his feet as they walked through the snow. "So um, basically, in a nutshell..."

"No, Reg, not in a nutshell," Draco suddenly interrupted, "I want the full story and I want it now."

Regulus, looking a little startled, nodded.

"It took a couple of major fights with Sirius for me to stop talking with him on a regular basis. And then I entered second year and Barty started talking with Wilkes and..."

"Wait, Barty?" said Draco.

"Yeah, you know...Crouch Junior? I'm the only one that calls him Barty because we're the closest."

"Because you two are the youngest in the group..." said Draco, finally understanding.

"Right," said Regulus, "So um, you know, him and Sev, they were my only friends really, and they were both with Wilkes constantly so I...I caved. And then I started hanging out with the guys sometimes but not always like the other two did. I still kept restrained because fucking Sirius's voice was always at the back of my mind, warning me about alternate intentions and dark arts and so on."

He paused, turning the corner with Draco to a smaller street adjacent to theirs.

"Well...around October in my second year, I suppose I'd already gained a reputation for being Wilkes' next...you know...and um, there was already all this talk about me doing some kind of initiation thing to sort of become...official in their group. But I just thought it was talk, you know? I didn't actually take any of it seriously and I don't think at the time I realized just how far this talk had gotten, that basically the entire school knew. What can I say, I was..."

"...naïve," Draco finished.

"Anyway, it was during a Potions lesson..." Regulus continued, looking more serious now and slightly grim, "I was really into Potions stuff, even back then, and Slughorn was very proud of it too. But I guess I didn't read all of the instructions...and Barty, you know, he wanted me to be a member more than anyone else I think. So he sort of helped me out there...but I didn't realize that's what he was doing...and then he convinced this Hufflepuff kid in our grade that it was just juice and he got him to actually drink it. And by the time I realized what he was doing, it was already too late."

"What happened to the kid?" said Draco, his throat feeling dry.

"Enough that he had to spend a month at St. Mungo's..."

"Seriously?" said Draco in a quiet voice.

"Barty thought that if it looked like I'd intentionally poisoned some kid in Hufflepuff, well...that it would be enough of an initiation..."

"...that it would be enough for Wilkes," Draco concluded.

Regulus swallowed before continuing. "I'll never forget the looks on my parents' faces when they dragged me to Dumbledore's office that night after they found out he was gonna expel me."

"Wait," said Draco, stopping his stride and turning to look at Regulus. "Dumbledore was actually gonna expel you?"

Regulus nodded silently.

"But he wouldn't do that unless..."

"Unless what I did was really, really bad," Regulus finished. "And it was. But my parents wouldn't hear any of it. They dragged me to his office and...my mother especially, she got so mad at him for even suggesting that I be thrown out of school for my behaviour."

"Yeah I can imagine," said Draco, softly. "So what happened then?"

Regulus turned away from Draco and went to sit on a nearby bench. Eager to find out more, Draco followed and sat beside him. There was no way he was leaving this story halfway.

"Kelvin Candor," Regulus finally answered, his eyes on the snow. "That's what happened."

"Go on," said Draco slowly, setting his bag down and looking at Regulus.

"I didn't know who he was at the time, I'd never even spoken to him before that. But there he was, standing in Dumbledore's office, feeding him and my parents this tale of how he'd had problems with the Hufflepuff kid and he'd been planning this revenge ever since, but that somehow, Barty had gotten mixed up and had assumed that it was my doing. He said that he'd had someone sabotage my potion that day so that no one would be able to trace it back to him and then everything went according to plan, except that they hadn't expected Barty to go telling everyone that it was me who'd done this." Regulus paused now. "So basically, he told Dumbledore that it was all his fault."

"And he believed that?" said Draco, finding it hard to imagine a world where Albus Dumbledore was easily deceived by some dumb school kid.

"Candor had people to vouch for him," Regulus added. "And he was in fourth year at the time, with Wilkes...kind of hard for people to imagine that a second year like me would be able to do something so dark, right?"

"Was he under Wilkes' wing too?" Draco wondered, but Regulus quickly shook his head now.

"Candor never liked Wilkes. Even though he was in Slytherin and in his year, he stayed as far away from him as he could."

"Then why take the blame for something that you supposedly did?" said Draco, not understanding.

Regulus looked up at him. "Because Wilkes had something on him. I found out later that night when I returned to my common room. Dumbledore had settled for giving me a week's worth of detentions for 'negligence in a situation that could have been avoided altogether'. And Candor was sentenced to two months of carefully monitored detentions."

"He wasn't expelled?!" cried Draco.

"His parents were fairly well connected," Regulus smiled, "So of course not." He paused. "Wilkes had thought of everything."

"So...Wilkes did this then..." said Draco.

"He was the reason I got off, yeah," said Regulus quietly. "And that night when I came back to the dungeons...he was sitting by himself near the fire and he...he asked me questions about the meeting. Like...like he wanted to know what had happened..."

"And you told him..." said Draco.

"And he sort of cryptically, vaguely and indirectly, said 'you're welcome'," said Regulus. "That's how I knew that from that moment on, I owed him." He looked at Draco now. "I owed him big time. Because of him, I wasn't...ugh, I can just only imagine how much worse it would have been for me than it was for Sirius, if I really did get expelled from Hogwarts that night..."

Draco sat back on the bench and sighed deeply. That was a chunk load of information, such that he knew he needed, but now that he'd learned it, wished he hadn't. He looked at Regulus now.

"Do you regret it?" he asked in a small, quiet voice.

"Every day," Regulus answered without looking at him. "That night, I cried myself to sleep."

"Why?"

There was a pause in which Regulus looked on ahead at the muggle street, watching some children in the distance throw snow at each other and laugh.

"Because that night," he finally said, his eyes still on the children, "That night, the very thing that I'd wanted to avoid, happened." He then turned to Draco. "And I realized I was powerless to change it."

Draco didn't bother asking Regulus the details of what had happened to that Hufflepuff kid, because the truth was, he really didn't want to know. The story had been bad enough and had changed a lot of how Draco had looked at Regulus up until now. But still, he knew that it was his mission to change this kid's life...to alter his future and to give him that second chance. He just realized now, as he walked with him back to that antique shop to return his tie, that doing this would be a lot more difficult than he'd originally anticipated.

When they finally got back to Grimmauld Place that afternoon, Regulus made Draco promise that he wouldn't repeat that story to anyone for as long as he should live. And Draco promised, realizing that it took some serious courage for Regulus to trust him enough to tell it to him.

"I'm just gonna put the new tie away," he told him when they got back and Regulus suggested they finish their game in the sitting room.

Draco hurried up the stairs to Sirius's bedroom and was sure to shut the door carefully behind him. All weekend, he'd been playing bodyguard, making sure that no one entered this bedroom without his own presence there. It was what Sirius would have wanted, anyway.

But just as he placed the tie on the dresser and was about to leave, he noticed the owl sitting by the sweater-covered window and staring at him expectedly. Draco frowned as he walked up to the owl and removed the letter attached to it. Realizing who it was from, he quickly knelt down to his knees and ripped it open, forgetting completely that Regulus was downstairs waiting for him.

 _Dear Draco,_

 _I was actually surprised to hear from you, I didn't think the Blacks would let you write to any of Sirius's friends. I've never personally met them but I've heard loads of stories, and I suppose, many of them being from Sirius, that I'm biased in the matter. But still, I can't imagine that they're being rather too pleasant at the moment, given everything that's going on._

 _I've spoken with James and he says that Sirius is well, so you needn't worry. Seriously, don't stress out about it. Just try to enjoy the rest of the holidays as best as you can. Spend some time with Regulus and don't overthink it. I don't know how Sirius's parents are treating you but however it is, just remember that you'll be back at Hogwarts soon with the people who love you, so don't take any of it to heart. I can't even imagine what you're going through right now but just know that Sirius is perfectly fine and that he is safe._

 _As for me, don't worry. I'm actually feeling quite fine. I don't think it's going to be a bad one._

 _And also, thank you for the thesaurus. It was a brilliant gift._

 _Best of luck and see you soon,_

 _Moony_

 _P.S. I think that you should just hold on to Sirius's stuff for him until the train next week. It's what I would do_

Draco looked up from the letter, not quite sure if he felt worse or better now that he'd read it. It was nice to hear back from someone, that was true. But still...he'd hoped for something more, though even he didn't know exactly what.

The rest of the day was...odd. He couldn't stop thinking about Regulus's story, and the more he hung out with him, the more he thought about it. Orion and Walburga weren't home for dinner so at least Draco had one less thing to worry about as he dined with Regulus in the dining room alone. Shortly after dinner, he told Regulus that he wanted to get to bed early that night because he was very tired. And so Regulus bid him a good night and let him go off on his own. But back in Sirius's room, sleep was the last thing that he wanted to do.

Draco read over Remus's letter several more times before falling back on the bed, his eyes on the ceiling. He couldn't imagine a world where Remus would lie to him...yet at the same time he couldn't imagine a world where Sirius would be 'well' after everything that'd happened. Even he felt sick just thinking back to that night and to how calm Orion had seemed about having Christmas dinner despite everything that had happened.

He wasn't sure what time it was or whether he actually felt tired, but soon he felt himself drifting off to sleep, his hand sliding down the side of the bed and dropping Remus's letter to the carpeted floor.

And then, sooner than he'd hoped, he was right back on the Astronomy Tower on that cold June night, his wand shaking in his hand and tears in his eyes as he looked at the old man standing before him, years and years of wisdom staring back.

"You don't have to do this, Draco," he repeated.

"SHUT UP!" he wanted to yell at him. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

But nothing came out. His voice was gone and only tears flowed in his eyes. He needed to do this. He _was_ going to do this, the spell was just at the tip of his tongue. But every second that he thought he was going to do it, something stopped him and he wanted to scream.

Then, just like every time that he had this dream, the door opened and a figure stepped onto the tower platform. But this time, it wasn't the adult Severus. It was some Slytherin student who resembled Wilkes a great deal and had a smirk on his face.

"Come on, they're waiting," said Kelvin Candor, motioning for Draco to follow him.

Draco frowned at him, wiping the tears from his face, and turned to look back at Dumbledore.

"Go on," the old man nodded.

Draco found his feet dragging him after Candor, through the door of the tower and into a room filled with loads of wedding guests in formal wear and with drinks in their hands. Music was playing and some couples were twisting on the dancefloor under the bright lights. But Draco only followed Candor through the crowd until he reached two young people, smiling at him with sparkles in their eyes.

"Draco, I'm so happy you could make it!" his mother beamed at him, pulling him into a tight hug. Her white dress flowed down to the floor in a rich, elegant way.

"We thought you wouldn't show," his father said once she'd released him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He was looking very formal in his black dress robes and his hair tied in a knot at the back of his head.

"It's good to see you again," he added more quietly, so that the other wedding guests wouldn't hear.

"I..." said Draco, his wand hand still shaking and his throat too tight to say much else.

And then, the scene changed and Draco found himself standing in the courtroom once again, watching the guards pull his father away from him, not knowing when he would see him again, if ever. His mother had tears in her eyes as she took his hand in hers and watched the love of her life leave her. And it was all Draco could do not to break down in front of her and make matters worse. He'd promised his father that he would stay strong throughout this and he had every intention of keeping that promise.

But still, the tears formed in his eyes again now, and when he tried to wipe them off, they only came down harder. Then, he was walking out of the courtroom with his mother again, only to find himself right back on that tower with Dumbledore standing before him, waiting.

"You are no assassin, Draco," he said to him now. "And it's not your fault. None—of—it is _your_ fault."

"I've done things that would shock you, Dumbledore!" Draco cried, his hand shaking again as his wand pointed at the headmaster. "You...you don't know what I am! You don't know what I'm capable of."

"Draco, _you_ don't know what you're capable of," said Dumbledore.

Then, there was a loud bang down below and Draco's eyes flew open. He was covered in a fresh sheen of sweat and the room was abysmally cold, with the wind howling madly behind the sweater on the window. Gasping for several long minutes, Draco looked round at the clock on the bedside table. 2 AM.

He brought his hands to his head and held it hard, willing it to stop pounding. His heart was racing in his ears now and his fingers were tingling with a mad sensation...like this was his last night on earth. If he didn't know any better, he would say that he had a fever.

He pulled himself off of Sirius's bed and stepped on Remus's letter on the floor without even realizing it at first. His head still in his hands, he paced about the room for a long time, taking shaky breaths and trying to think about something—anything—that would pull him out of this frantic state that he was in. But no matter what he tried to think about, that dream always came back to him.

Realizing that staying there in Sirius's room wasn't doing him any good, he opened the door and let himself out, his wand illuminating the dark corridors as he walked. He kept his wand hand outstretched before him while his other hand moved along the walls as he walked, keeping him steady and on his feet. His breathing did not calm, even after he'd reached the second floor. In fact, his heart was pounding so hard now, that it was a miracle he was still able to breathe at all. He'd have thought that such acceleration would have destroyed his cardiorespiratory system indefinitely.

He reached the first floor and looked around carefully before proceeding to the Sitting Room, where the fireplace was still crackling in the corner. There, he paced some more, his thoughts wholly _screaming_ at him. He could still hear Dumbledore's voice in his ears. He could hear the wedding guests laughing and the music playing. He could see his mother smiling with tears in her eyes. He could see his father yelling for him to take care of her as he followed the guards to his unfortunate fate in Azkaban Prison. And all of it was playing on a loop inside his head, making him want to growl and throw himself out a window if it would make it stop.

He left the Sitting Room and proceeded on to the next room where he found a grand piano among many sitting areas and family portraits. Heart still pounding, he moved to stand near the window where he could watch the snow storm in the cool night. Everything was covered in white and more and more was falling. He pressed his face against the ice cold window and concentrated on taking deep breaths. But after a while, this got old and he could feel the panic rising inside of him.

Once again, he departed from the room and moved on to the next.

One by one, he entered various rooms throughout the house, his wand illuminating his path as he wandered. All the while, his thoughts shouted at him that it was all his fault that Sirius had left home. That if it hadn't been for him, Draco, Walburga would have never pushed Sirius over the edge.

He now stopped on the stairs and leaned against the railing, resting his head on it for a few moments and trying harder than ever to steady his breathing. Never had the thought crossed his mind that his presence in this timeline was toxic. Never had it occurred to him that _he_ could be the problem here...that _he_ was an interference and that _he_ was the part of the equation that needed to be eliminated before things got worse...

His hands were burning now as he forced himself up the stairs and proceeded to the next room in the house, a cozy, spacious one with a fireplace as well. Here too, he walked up to the window and stood there for several moments. Then, he began pacing again, his mind back on the Astronomy Tower and the look on Dumbledore's face—the look that still haunted him in his dreams—that told him how little faith he had left in him. The look that told him he was no longer repairable. Looking back now, Draco knew that that look could kill, and that it would be too soon if he saw that look again.

Breathing frantically again, Draco buried his face in his hands and let himself fall back on one of the chairs in the room, rocking himself back and forth and trying desperately to hush his cries. He didn't need anyone noticing that he was out of bed and finding him in this state. It would simply shred his cover to pieces because he doubted that right now he would be able to tell a single lie to anyone. His entire body was shaking uncontrollably and his hands and face were still sweaty and pale white. He knew that he would scare the life out of anyone who saw him right now.

"I'd bet any amount of galleons right now that you wish you could go back to your time," said a voice in his ears.

Draco brought his head up from his hands, his eyes round with shock, tears still flowing out of them.

"I'd bet you would even go back tonight if you could," said the voice.

Draco started. Had he really lost it completely? Was this the end of his life as he knew it? Was he to spend the rest of his days at St. Mungo's, like Wilkes and so many others?

"Am I wrong?" said the voice, finally hitting recognition in Draco's head.

He sighed deeply, still shaking slightly but less now than before.

"You know I am right," said the voice again. "You know it, I know it, even Dumbledore knows it."

Draco swallowed hard before saying, "Great."

"Oh but the best part about all this..." the voice continued, letting out a light chuckle, "...is that you really _can't_ go back now, can you?"

Draco turned his head to look at the portrait on the left wall with a grim expression on his face.

"What do you want from me?" he asked in a childlike voice.

"Merely amusement for myself," said Phineas Nigellus, grinning back at him.

Draco turned his head away from him again and took another shaky breath.

If it hadn't been for how he was feeling right about now, he would have questioned how it was that Phineas Nigellus had _two_ portraits, one here and one at Hogwarts, wherein he could coexist. But none of that mattered now. He breathed again, his head starting to spin and letting out surges of pain every few minutes.

"Adolescence," Phineas Nigellus continued now, "Such a dramatic time in a person's life. Everything wrong with the world seems to be all that matters. And every tiny little problem is the end of the world."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Draco said, turning his head to look at him again.

"And _attitude_ is unbecoming in people, I might add," Phineas Nigellus declared, giving Draco a dark look.

"Whatever," said Draco, turning away from him again, his eyes falling on the fireplace before him.

He'd obviously chosen the wrong room in the house to end his little pacing trip, but he felt much too tired now to get up and leave. Besides, what was a few more minutes?

"No, he is not asleep," Phineas Nigellus said now. "Oh I'm just having a laugh, what is wrong with doing that?"

Draco turned back to the portrait but found that Phineas Nigellus was actually leaving it now, and headed for the tunnel behind him. He shifted in his seat slightly, narrowing his eyes to check if they were playing tricks on him. But no, sure enough, Phineas Nigellus had actually left his own portrait.

Brilliant. He could not only coexist in them, but he could also travel in between them.

"Alright, alright, I hear you," said Phineas Nigellus, now appearing again in his portrait and giving Draco another look.

"What?" Draco said to him, now on his feet and taking slow steps towards him.

"The _headmaster_ would like to speak with you," he replied, his arms folded in front of him.

 _"Now?!"_ said Draco, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes, now," said Dumbledore's voice from the fireplace.

Draco jumped back.

Dumbledore's face was illuminating in the firelight right before his very eyes, in the corner of the room.

"What...how..." said Draco, staring at him but not believing.

"The Floo Network has many uses and many forms, Draco, I trust you know that," said Dumbledore. "Now, tell me what happened."

Draco fell to his knees so that he was leveled with Dumbledore in the fireplace and continued to stare at him, his eyes now dry. He let his wand drop and roll away from him on the floor.

"I... _loads_!" he cried.

And then, he proceeded with the tale of what went down with Sirius and Walburga, and how Sirius had been injured upon getting out, and how he'd officially run away, and how Orion had given that speech in the Sitting Room and had basically threatened everyone to keep their silence, and how they then had Christmas dinner like nothing had happened. He then proceeded to recount his entire dream to Dumbledore, the only detail that he left out being that it was Candor who was escorting him between scenes. He felt it best not to mention the name, given that so far he'd avoided mentioning Regulus's tale altogether. The kid had entrusted him with this secret and he wasn't going to break his trust now.

When he was all done, he looked at Dumbledore long and hard, who also seemed to be looking back at him the same way.

"Do you think..." he finally began, in a calm, quiet voice, "...that perhaps your spending all this time at Grimmauld Place is what brought this dream on?"

"I..." said Draco, breathing loudly now to try and control his heartbeat. "I dunno...I-I guess?"

He paused, looking at Dumbledore.

"Perhaps spending the holidays there wasn't such a good idea then," Dumbledore admitted. "I apologize that I did not realize this before, Draco. I didn't think it would have this kind of effect on you."

"Ha, that's because you never let me tell you anything about that other life," Draco blurted out, giving Dumbledore a resentful look.

"What does that mean?" said Dumbledore after a brief silence. "Draco, you know that I care deeply and sincerely about you."

Draco brought his head to his hands again and took several deep breaths before looking back at Dumbledore with tears in his eyes.

"Do you?" he confronted. _"Really?"_

"Yes," Dumbledore repeated. "Deeply...and sincerely."

"You know what, I find that really hard to believe, professor, especially since _I'm_ the one here doing everything," Draco said without looking at him.

"What are you—?"

 _"I'm_ the one dealing with the Blacks here right now, _not you,"_ Draco began, his teeth on edge and the tears still in his eyes. "Okay? _I'm_ the one who's shuffling back and forth between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, trying to be everybody's _friend_ —trying to please every goddamn needy teenager. _I'm_ the one having the nightmares and _I'm_ the one who everyone expects something from, _not you."_

"Draco..."

"So you can just drop the act, okay? I'm _over_ it. You and I both know you're not concerned and at the end of the day, the only reason you bother with me is because I've come from the future and if I really wanted to, I could bring everything down and let all hell break loose!"

"That is not what I..."

"Just drop it, okay?!"

Draco jumped to his feet and walked away from the fireplace, stopping in the middle of the room and wiping his face on his sleeve.

"No one blames you for anything, Draco," said Dumbledore calmly.

Draco spun on his heel to look at him.

"Are you _serious_ right now, professor?" he said, his voice bitter and just utterly shocked. "You're really gonna sit there and tell me now that I am not to blame for anything?"

"I certainly can't speak for that other timeline, given that this version of me hasn't lived it yet," Dumbledore corrected. "I apologize if that may seem difficult and confusing for you, but it is the truth. I haven't lived it, despite what you and that other version of myself went through, which again, I feel the need to remind you that I don't need to—"

"—need to know about, yeah," said Draco, turning away from him again. "I got that. And I've gotta tell you, professor, it just really _irks_ me when you constantly remind me that you're there for me, yet you can't be there for me where it matters most."

"Draco..."

"You can keep feeding me this bullshit about how much you care, professor, but we both know that I'm just a part of your big plan here...your plan to stop things from happening even though in the end they'll probably still happen anyway!"

His tears were back now and he glared at Dumbledore in the firelight with every fibre of hate that he could muster in that moment.

"JUST ADMIT IT," he finally cried, not caring whether his voice would wake someone now and draw unwanted attention. "ADMIT THAT YOU ONLY NEED ME FOR THIS BIG PLAN OF YOURS!"

"Draco..."

"Okay so then if it's not true, why would you give me these lessons every weekend, and why entrust me with details about the war that you wouldn't give to any other student, and why keep pressuring me to keep all my relationships with the Gryffindors and the Slytherins constant and healthy and why won't you ever, _ever_ just tell me what the bloody hell is actually on your mind!"

"Phineas," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Draco.

"Not to worry, headmaster, no one will hear him," said Phineas Nigellus, sighing deeply and rolling his eyes as he sat back in his portrait and eyed Draco curiously. "They really do grow more dramatic with every generation, don't they?"

"Draco," said Dumbledore, turning his attention back to him. "Why haven't you spoken with me about this prior to tonight, if you truly felt this way?"

"You make it sound like you actually would've listened!" Draco cried in between tears and laughs. "Professor, you think that I'm actually the key in this whole situation when it is in fact ME who is making everything go wrong!"

"That—"

"You don't even fully see just how much _shit_ I've brought into this timeline from my own twisted one! You don't realize how much I've manipulated people here, corrupted them, made them think the way I want them to! You don't realize it because you're too close to the problem to actually see what the problem is!"

"The problem?" said Dumbledore.

"YES," said Draco. _"I'M_ THE PROBLEM, PROFESSOR! _ME!"_

There was silence. Draco was practically sobbing now and his body was shaking again.

 _"I'm_ the reason Sirius fought with his mother on Christmas Eve," he cried. _"I'm_ the reason he was pushed so far over the edge that he actually _threw_ himself out of a _window_ and ran away covered in his own _blood!_ He left everything— _everything_ —behind because of _ME!"_

He fell to his knees now, tears soaking his red face and his knees crumbling beneath him.

"I...I'm the reason James is upset," he gasped. "I...I abandoned Regulus when he needed me most. I put Wilkes in the hospital even though...even though _everyone_ knows he deserved it." He took another deep breath and closed his bleeding eyes before opening them again and looking down at Dumbledore. "It's...my...fault..."

He was sprawled on the floor now, just in front of the fireplace, his sobs echoing throughout the room like an orphaned child looking for his parents. His body was covered in sweat again and he was shaking uncontrollably, his heart pounding in his chest and ringing in his ears.

"Draco," said Dumbledore's voice from a million miles away. "Look at me."

It took every ounce of strength that Draco had left in order for him to lift his head and meet Dumbledore's eyes in the fireplace.

"It's not your fault," Dumbledore said in that same, calm voice.

"I..." breathed Draco, not knowing what to say to that. "It..."

"It's not your fault," Dumbledore repeated, his voice still calm. "Hey, look at me." Draco looked at him again. "It's—not—your—fault."

Draco broke down in sobs again, hating Dumbledore now more than ever for saying these things to him that he obviously did not want to hear...not now, not ever. He rested his face on the cold floor and looked on at the other corner of the dark room, finally locating his wand which had rolled all the way up against the opposite wall.

"Think back on that other timeline," Dumbledore's voice said. "Think very hard."

"About what?" Draco said after a long moment of silence, his own voice quiet and calm now.

"About what happened to the Sirius you knew in that timeline," said Dumbledore, "Or rather, the Sirius that you knew of. Think back on anything and everything that your parents might have told you over the years about your extended family. Can you recall anything, anything at all, that would lead you to believe that Sirius had run away from home in your original timeline?"

Draco didn't want to do it, but he still thought back. And after several moments, he lifted his head to look at Dumbledore, who now offered a small smile.

"If he ran away the first time, then it never had anything to do with you," he assured him. "It was always going to happen, whether you were involved or not." Another pause. "You need to stop and take a good look around you. All these people whose lives you have now become a part of...they have brains and they can think for themselves. You are not manipulating anyone into anything. They are not being forced to interact with you. If they continue to interact with you to this day, it is because your friendship means something to them. It is because you _matter_ to them, Draco. You are far too young to see it now, but I promise you, _I promise,_ you will see it with time."

Draco looked away from him again and wiped his face before meeting the old man's eyes.

"You have everything," Dumbledore continued. "Everyone. And you need to stop feeling guilty about that. You are allowed to enjoy living this second chance. You are allowed to have fun this time around, even if fun was not what you experienced the first time. _Especially_ if fun was not what you experienced. You have been granted this second chance, and I'm an old man, Draco. _Trust me_ when I say this—second chances don't come around often. In fact, they are scarce."

Draco swallowed hard.

"The sooner you accept this, the sooner you'll feel in control of your life once again," Dumbledore concluded.

Draco took a deep breath, finally realizing that his body was no longer shaking and tears were no longer running down his cheeks, and then he did the most difficult thing he'd had to do all night.

He looked at Dumbledore and at long last gave a weak nod, realizing this truth and accepting it wholly.

"Don't think about how terrible it was that Sirius ran away," Dumbledore suggested as Draco sat up now and cleaned his face again. "Think about how amazing he must feel, now that he's finally got out. It's what he's wanted for a long time and, like you said, he ran away to a family that actually cares. He is safe. He is well. Believe that."

Draco nodded again, feeling calmer now than he did an hour ago.

"You should get some sleep, Draco," Dumbledore added. Draco looked round at the time. It was now well over three in the morning. He glanced once at Phineas Nigellus's portrait, only to find that it was empty.

"I'd better go now too," Dumbledore said, bringing his attention back to him.

"Okay," Draco agreed quietly. He got to his feet and nodded once more before walking to the other side to retrieve his wand. Then, he turned back to look at Dumbledore in the firelight.

"Professor," he said, biting his lip. "I...that thing that you sent...what is it?"

Dumbledore smiled again. "It is called a deluminator. You shall learn its many qualities soon enough. Have a good night, Draco."

"Goodnight professor," Draco mumbled, standing in the middle of the room and watching Dumbledore fade from the firelight until only the flames were left, crackling into the silent, cold room.

The following morning, Draco found it surprisingly easy to pretend like last night had never happened. He washed his face thoroughly before letting anyone see him. And spirits around the house were far brighter now than they'd been over the weekend, mainly due to the upcoming wedding and the excitement revolved around it. It seemed that it was all Walburga could talk about at breakfast, lunch and dinner. She just went on and on about all the relatives that she wanted Draco to get acquainted with, and he just nodded along with everything she said and smiled at the right parts and frowned at the others. He found himself often wondering how she truly felt, given that he'd seen her in a private moment, disowning her son for the rest of time. But it didn't seem to be affecting her much now.

As for Orion, well, _he_ was more occupied with reading the Prophet from cover to cover, no doubt making sure that their family wasn't in the headlines for anything, but he still nodded along with what his wife was saying.

And Regulus seemed excited too, which brought Draco back to last night and what Dumbledore had said, and made him wonder...had Sirius attended the wedding in the original timeline, or had he run away from home by then? He did remember his mother telling him once that Sirius had run away and that that was when he'd been disowned by the Black family and had lost his inheritances. Though, Draco doubted that last part was actually true. Magic, especially ancestral magic, was still magic. And even Walburga, a powerful woman in the wizarding world, couldn't change that if she wanted to.

By Tuesday afternoon, Draco himself had forgotten all about Remus's letter and how much it had initially upset him. In fact, he actually found himself in rather higher spirits than he'd expected, because deep down, he actually was very interested in meeting all these relatives that he'd heard so much about. And, on some level, even though he knew it was a slim to zero chance, he hoped to glimpse Sirius there anyway.

At around half past four, Walburga and Orion left for the actual ceremony, both dressed in elegant dress robes of the finest that Draco had ever seen. He and Regulus were still at Grimmauld Place, seeing as how they were only invited to the reception and not the actual ceremony. Nevertheless, they dressed and were in the Sitting Room by five.

"I'm excited," Regulus announced, petting Ferris on his shoulder again.

"You're not bringing him with you..." said Draco in a sort of question-like voice.

Regulus let out a brief laugh and shook his head. "It wouldn't do well with the wedding guests if one of the royal Blacks showed up with a pet bird on his shoulder."

Draco let out a laugh too. It definitely wouldn't.

"So how are we getting there anyway?" he asked.

"Mother said that she'd be sending an escort," Regulus answered, glancing at his watch. "Actually, she's supposed to be here any minute."

"Yeah, but I mean...where is it? Like, _how_ are we getting there?" Draco repeated.

"Oh," said Regulus, frowning. "I'm not sure where it is but I'm assuming by portkey. Or apparition, depends on who is our escort."

At that moment, the front door banged shut and the clicking of heels filled the entrance hallway. Draco and Regulus were both on their feet in an instant and moved to stand side by side in the Sitting Room, waiting. Then, Draco's jaw dropped.

"Well, well, well..." said Bellatrix Black, standing in the doorway with a grin on her shining face.

She was wearing a long black dress with an open back and an open leg. Her heels were eight inch and the fabric tying up around her ankles in twisted knots that formed all the way up to her lower knees. She had sparkling jewelry around her neck and wrists, and her left hand was on her waist while her right held the doorway.

"Which of you boys is going to be my date tonight?" she finally said, winking at Draco before her eyes landed on Regulus.

"C-cousin Bellatrix," said Regulus, looking stunned. "You...you're here."

"Indeed I am," she said, turning back to Draco. "It's nice to see you again."

"You as well," Draco said, giving her a nod.

"So," she said, moving into the room to stand before the boys, her heels clicking as she walked and echoing on the hardwood floors, "How do we feel about apparition, boys?"

"We feel as though we'll manage just fine," Draco answered for the both of them.

Bellatrix's smile widened and she moved to lock her arm in his.

"I thought you would say that," she said, winking at him again. She smelled of incredible perfume which made Draco slightly dizzy and he had to remind himself that he was _related_ to this woman.

"Reg?" she said, holding out her arm for him to take.

He hesitated before moving to her other side.

Draco peeked another glance at her body and then straightened up. Fuck it. If a woman could look like that, it didn't matter what sins she committed for the rest of her life...

"This may hurt just a little," she whispered before their feet instantly left the floors of the Sitting Room and landed hard on cold ground.

Draco let out a few deep breaths, having gotten out of practice with the whole apparition thing. It had been a while. Meanwhile on his other side, Regulus looked like he was going to be sick.

"Here, eat this," Bellatrix said, thrusting some sucking candy at him before starting her way up the path to the brightly lit mansion ahead.

"You okay?" Draco said, moving to where Regulus was standing.

Regulus nodded his head silently and popped the candy into his mouth.

"Come on," he finally said, pulling Draco with him after Bellatrix. Her heels clicking were the only sounds in the cool winter air, but Draco was no longer feeling well, now that they approached the mansion and could hear the music and the loud chatter inside.

Regulus was looking around them at the snow and the twinkling lights that had been set up all along the path. The sun was setting somewhere in the distance so it was still relatively blue out, but Draco's eyes were firmly kept on the mansion ahead, and with every step that he took, he lost his breath.

They finally reached the front steps and Bellatrix gave the boys each another wink before the doors flew open and two guards stepped out, both dressed in white. Draco felt his throat go dry. This had to be some kind of a sick joke. This had to be something that Dumbledore had orchestrated after Draco had told him his nightmare.

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, the newlywed couple, stepped out into the evening and looked down at their three new wedding guests, their beaming smiles slowly fading from their faces as their eyes landed on Draco, stunned and petrified.

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 **:)**


	31. Malfoy Manor

**AN** **: So, this chapter is going to be a stopping point for now. We will be taking a break so that we can thoroughly plan out the next dozen chapters or so and deliver them to you all in the best ways possible. Seeing as how chapter 32 is an exciting one, we've decided to update it on the anniversary of this story's publication, which will also mark us resuming our regular weekly or biweekly updates.**

 **For this particular chapter, pay attention to details. Seriously. Lots of hints dropped.**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Thanks**

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CHAPTER 31: MALFOY MANOR

For the first time in his life, Draco was grateful to be found in a room full of noise and people and excitement. He had never enjoyed the party scene very much and had always found quiet rooms far more appealing. But the clicking of heels on the dance floor now, the excitement and the chatter of the crowd, the food passing around and the gasps and awes following it...in that moment, Draco was lucky not to be able to hear his own thoughts.

He kept to the corner of the grand room, hidden behind long lines of translucent black gossamer curtains and thin gossamer ribbons accompanied by hundreds of twinkle lights. With a glass of champagne in his hand, he leaned against the wall and watched black and gold lace cocktail dresses draped in long pearl necklaces and sparkling sleeves twirl around the dance floor. He listened to the enthusiastic chatter, the joyful laughs, the jazzy music...he took in the breathtaking smells of lilac and black and white roses, which were positively littered all about the walls and ceiling, along with black and white satin bows. It was all so decorative and transformative and elegant and unique, though still, as Draco looked on at the room, he was reminded of its previous appearance...of the large crystal chandelier that used to hang just at the center with half a dozen dark couches scattered about and carpeted floors and little skeletons carved into lamps...

Draco took a sip of his drink and continued to lean against the wall, his eyes never leaving the couple twirling in the center of the room to the tune of some classic wedding jazz and an audience's applause. The beautiful bride had tears of joy in her eyes as she looked up at her new husband with nothing but love and sincerity. Anyone could tell this was the happiest day of her life. And her husband looked down at her too with such passion that told people he would do anything and everything to protect her from then on until death. Draco sipped his drink again and looked around the room.

It was in this room that he had once beat Goyle at Wizard's Chess. It was in this room that Draco had accidentally knocked over an ancient vase when he was just eight years old and then bribed one of the butlers to magically fix it before his parents got home. It was in this room that he had listened to his mother tell him the history of Slytherin house and his father assured him that he would achieve great, wonderful things there.

He sipped his drink again and heaved a deep sigh. He wasn't ready for this.

The music came to a stop and the crowd in the room applauded and raised their champagne glasses as Lucius twirled Narcissa one last time.

"Thank you, thank you so much for coming!" they repeated to all their friends and relatives as the music started up again.

Narcissa fixed up her long, silky white dress and then took Lucius's hand and approached some more of their friends. They instantly began laughing about something and clicking glasses together while a butler dressed in white offered them black caviar. People everywhere were laughing and exchanging stories, passing around chocolate-covered strawberries, and marvelling over how magnificent everything was, from the bows and the decorations down to Narcissa's elegant dress. Though the room and the furniture were either extremely white or extremely black, resembling that of a haunted winter wonderland, to Draco, it still seemed like a kaleidoscopic spectacle. Guests were positively _crowded_ over the creamy, cloth-covered tables atop which lay colourful assortments of finger food and vegetable salads in riveting patterns. There were even _Daily Prophet_ reporters in every corner of the room, snapping away their photographs of various groups of people. Draco sipped his drink again.

If it hadn't been for his initial shock of learning who the newlywed couple was, he'd have been surprised to find Professor Slughorn among the guests sipping the golden champagne now. But at this moment, Draco doubted that anything would ever surprise him as much, even if it were something as intricate as the Dark Lord himself showing up to this circus. So instead, Draco remained in his little corner with his little drink and watched Professor Slughorn laugh with some of his former students, all of whom were fascinating him now with stories of their grand adventures in life after Hogwarts.

People everywhere seemed to have magnificent stories to tell—someone was getting married, someone was getting pregnant, someone was getting promoted, someone was getting demoted. But not once, Draco noticed, did anyone mention even a single word regarding the great big war that was happening right now. In fact, people seemed to be avoiding the subject altogether, perhaps out of respect to the happy couple of the evening. Whatever the reason was, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It truly was, like the Black parents had previously mentioned, the grandest Pureblood celebration in over a century.

Draco's eyes fell on a small group of young Hogwarts boys standing near the buffet, looking proud and excited with their little sparkling ciders. Among them was Regulus, looking very much like his father, with his hair tied into a single braid reaching down to his shoulders. He looked to be telling a joke of some sort to his two buddies, only one of which Draco recognized as being Evan Rosier. The other one he knew was Wilkes's little bitch, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember the boy's name.

Sitting on a couch not too far from the group was an elderly couple dressed in elegant black robes. The woman had on sparkling necklaces and her grey hair was waving stylishly down to her shoulders as she sipped her wine. The man had greying hair too, and wore a grim but important expression on his face, which reminded Draco a lot of Sirius. Draco leaned back against the wall now, feeling stupid for having hoped that Sirius would show up. It had been a childish hope, one which he shouldn't have wasted his energy on.

He didn't move or flinch at all as Regulus spotted him, excused himself from his friends, and approached the corner where Draco was almost entirely hidden from the crowd's view.

"Crowded, isn't it?" Regulus said, joining Draco's side and turning to look with him. "I've never been to Malfoy Manor before but it's everything I've ever heard it to be."

"Overwhelming, yeah," Draco agreed, remaining rooted to the spot. "How are your friends?"

"They're well," said Regulus, shrugging. "They send their hello's."

Draco frowned at him and Regulus smiled. Then, his eyes shifted down to Draco's nearly emptied drink and he gasped.

 _"They're giving you booze?!"_

"Shhh!" Draco hissed, not wanting Regulus to jeopardize his perfect hiding spot. "Don't tell."

"But the bar is enchanted to only let people of age grab drinks..." Regulus started to say, but Draco only shushed him again, his eyes falling on Lucius, who was now standing with none other than Draco's own grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy.

This just couldn't get more bloody perfect. Yet another person that Draco had to avoid all night. And here he looked a lot like the Lucius that Draco had known originally, whereas Lucius looked a lot like...well, Draco.

"Draco, how'd you manage the drink?" Regulus was saying again.

"Huh?" said Draco, his eyes still on Abraxas.

"The drink, the drink!" Regulus said urgently, motioning at the glass in Draco's hand.

Draco rolled his eyes and shushed him again. There was no way that he was going to survive this night without proper booze, and if Regulus was going to jeopardize that for him tonight, they'd have a big problem.

"I sneaked it from someone who _is_ of age, alright?" Draco said. "So," he added, gesturing at Regulus's friends again, "How is it that they're here tonight exactly?"

"Oh, um," said Regulus, slowly diverting his eyes from Draco's tempting drink to where his friends stood, "Rosier is Narcissa's stepbrother."

"Wait what?"

"Yeah, um...I think...yeah, Druella had him before she married Cygnus so she became the stepmother to his three daughters and he became the stepfather to her son."

"What about Narcissa's real mother?" said Draco, trying to contain his shock so as not to frighten Regulus too much.

"Died during childbirth I think," said Regulus. "Narcissa never knew her, but the other two might remember her."

Draco sipped his drink in silence. So Evan Rosier was basically Draco's step-uncle, if he was going by whatever was happening in this timeline. His mother had never mentioned having a younger stepbrother, or a sister other than Bellatrix, for that matter.

"And the other one?" he said, gesturing at the boy standing with Rosier near the buffet.

"Who, Nott?" said Regulus, confused. "Why wouldn't he be here? He's Wilkes's best mate."

"You mean his little bitch," said Draco.

Regulus opened his mouth and then closed it again. They both watched Professor Slughorn join the two Slytherin boys and start laughing with them about something.

"So _Nott_ is here because Wilkes can't be," Draco concluded.

"You should really try some of that black caviar later, it's so fresh," Regulus said very quickly.

"Y-yeah, maybe later," Draco nodded distractedly. His eyes fell on that elderly couple again, looking smug, important, and above all, snobbish. Everything about them screamed that they had no desire to be there in that moment...that they had far more important things to do than to celebrate some pureblood marriage they could care less about.

"Say Reg, doesn't that man sitting over there remind you a lot of Sirius? Or is it just me?"

Regulus followed his gaze to where Draco was pointing and then his expression changed to that of delight.

"Well of course he'll remind you of Sirius," he said, smiling at Draco. "That's our grandfather Arcturus...and our grandmother with him, Melania."

"Your...your _mother's_...parents...?" said Draco, but Regulus shook his head.

"Father's; we hardly ever see them though, because they're not exactly happy with him, given how one of his sons is a huge disappointment to our entire family."

"So what's that got to do with him though?" said Draco.

Regulus hesitated. "Father hasn't always had the best relationship with Grandfather Arcturus."

"How come?"

"I don't fully know all the details," Regulus admitted. "Say, do you think I could maybe try some of that drink?"

"No, Regulus," said Draco straightaway, and when Regulus made an attempt to take it from him, he switched hands so that it was out of reach.

"Aw come on, Drake, just a taste!"

"Did you just call me Drake?"

"I'm your brother!"

"Cousin, and still no."

"Prat..."

"Right back at you, Reg," Draco snickered, finishing off his drink and shaking his head at Regulus, who was now sneering at him.

"Come on, my parents wanted me to find you," he suddenly said, grabbing Draco's arm and leading him away from his precious wall.

"What for?" Draco started to say, panicked slightly.

"They have some people they want you to meet."

"But—"

They left the safety of the shadowed walls and entered right into the midst of the lights and the festivity and the food and the crowd. Draco rushed to dump his empty glass onto the nearest tray. People's heads started to turn as he passed them, being led by Regulus. Music was still playing so at least the room didn't grow quiet or anything, but many suddenly became less interested with what was on their plates and more interested with how handsome the prodigal Black was, and how, 'amazingly so', he looked like that evening's bride.

 _Well, it could be worse,_ a voice told him. _They could think you look like the groom, which you do._

So why hadn't anyone said anything about it yet? It was true. Draco was the spitting image of Lucius, or so he thought anyway. So why was it that in the last four months, not one single person had made any mention of it? Not one.

Luckily though, of all the people that Walburga and Orion wanted Draco to meet, the bride and the groom were not included. They were still far too busy posing with various crowds for photographs taken by _Daily Prophet_ reporters.

Most of the people that Draco was introduced to, he recognized from the family tree tapestry back in the Drawing Room. Others were simply friends of the Blacks and in no way (that Draco knew, at least) related to them. What he found to be most fascinating was that Walburga was introducing him as her nephew. They hadn't yet exactly established just how Draco was related to the Blacks. But Walburga seemed to have already taken it upon herself to assume that he was a cousin to Regulus and Sirius, and therefore, some kind of a nephew to her and Orion. Whatever it was, no one questioned it, though Draco highly suspected that they'd all been warned beforehand not to say a word about his unusually late introduction to the Black family.

Thankfully, Regulus stood by Draco as he was paraded around the room between relatives and friends of the family, saying his hello's and how are you's and nice to meet you's. After about twenty minutes or so, Draco was almost able to forget that Sirius hadn't shown up. Regulus being there at his side was the next best thing.

The tour of the relatives stopped at Professor Slughorn, who just so happened to bump into the royal Blacks just near the buffet. He kept smiling at Draco and probably (Draco was sure of it) wanting nothing more than to blurt out "Check me out; I've been invited to the most prestigious celebration of the century!" But Draco only gave him a brief smile and nodded along to whatever Melania Black was saying about goblin riots in Diagon Alley and how this war wasn't doing very good things for Gringotts Bank. She obviously didn't seem to care that no one tonight was making any mention of the war. Evidently, those rules did not apply to her. Draco didn't like her one bit.

"My sources tell me that the half-bloods have taken more and more things out of their vaults just last week," she was saying in her seemingly proud, bold voice. "Apparently, they're afraid we're going to infiltrate their personal belongings."

"Now who would ever give them such a preposterous idea?" said Walburga, and Melania paused to wink at her.

They continued on with their conversations while Draco's eyes wandered around the room at all the guests enjoying themselves. The newlyweds were still somewhere out of sight, and lucky for that too. Draco had no doubt thought about it over the last four months...about what it would be like to come face to face with his parents' younger versions...and he'd even hoped for it too, knowing that he'd run into his father at the upcoming summer Quidditch match for sure...but now that it had happened, now that he had the chance to, now that he was in the very same room as them, he couldn't recall ever feeling more sick to his stomach.

A butler dressed from head to toe in white came around just then with a silver tray full of sparkling drinks in tall glasses. Orion's eyes suddenly flew to Draco.

"When do you turn of age?" he asked, importantly.

All eyes in the group fell on Draco.

"Um, this coming June, sir," Draco managed.

"Early or late in the month?"

"Early sir," said Draco.

With that, Orion picked up two glasses from the bowing butler's tray and handed one to Draco, much to Regulus's horror.

"I think a couple of months won't do any damage," Orion said, giving him a wink before sipping his own drink.

Draco raised his glass to him in appreciation and sipped the sweet-tasting champagne. Well, at least now he wouldn't have to keep sneaking drinks past party guests all night. He glanced sideways at Regulus only to find his jaw dropped and his eyes almost tear-filled but not quite.

"Any plans for life after Hogwarts?"

Draco looked away from Regulus and jumped a little at the realization that everyone in the group was looking at him again, and that it was Melania who'd posed the question. She had an eyebrow raised now, and her husband Arcturus was frowning at Draco and sipping his own drink. Draco still hadn't heard him utter a single word.

"I'm..." said Draco, glancing at Orion and then at Regulus before turning back to Melania, "Um, I-I'm only in sixth year, ma'am. I haven't thought about it much, to be perfectly honest with you."

"I don't see anything wrong with that," Orion spoke up, moving to place an arm around Draco. "After all, for a brilliant young lad, many doors remain open." He turned to Melania. "Have I mentioned that Draco is currently managing Outstanding's in every one of his NEWT subjects?"

"Wow," the group murmured, taking turns smiling at Draco and some even applauding a little.

Draco bowed his thanks to them and sipped his drink nervously.

"Mr. Black here is one of my very best students in sixth year!" Professor Slughorn began, turning most heads in the group towards him. "Regulus is of course the shining star of the fifth years, but Draco is my number one! Well, number one _male_ , that is. I do have a number one female, also a Gryffindor, and she..."

"...but I'm rather surprised that, being raised by the school's Headmaster, he wasn't made a prefect!"

"Well that's understandable, Melania, if you knew Dumbledore as well as we do. A very bizarre man, indeed, and so full of questions..." said Walburga.

Draco's eyes wandered to where the double doors that led from the adjacent corridor to the party room opened, revealing a small, skinny looking elf holding a silver tray of some finger food. Draco's mouth opened a little and his heart quickened without his even realizing it. He continued to watch as the elf moved on and about the room with its head bowed, trying to keep out of people's way. It finally set down the tray on one of the food tables and turned away to head back through the doors.

"Feeling peckish?" Regulus asked, having noticed Draco staring.

Draco's gaze moved from the double doors through which Dobby had just disappeared and he looked at Regulus.

"What?"

"I saw some good shrimp earlier," Regulus said.

"Um," Draco said, looking back at the double doors and then jumping a little as Walburga, Melania and Professor Slughorn burst into laughter over something apparently hilarious. "Y-yeah, let's go."

"Excuse us, father," Regulus said to Orion, who only waved his fingers for him to go and listened on to his mother's story, his arm locked with that of Walburga's in a very formal manner.

Draco let Regulus lead him away from the adults to one of the better looking tables with all the little shrimp plates draped in some kind of sweet smelling sauce. They both grabbed two plates and began to fill them as they moved side by side. Draco set his barely touched drink down somewhere and looked around at all the patterned fruit platters and varieties of salad, wondering where to even begin. He could feel Regulus's gaze on him at times, as well as so many others', but chose to ignore it and just kept his head down. He still had yet to speak with the newlyweds, and now doubted whether he wanted to at all.

"You know, I'm happy for Narcissa," Regulus said, conversationally.

"Hmm?" said Draco, a disgusted but curious look on his face as he watched the young Black place chocolate truffles atop his salad bowl.

"I mean look at her," Regulus said, gesturing to the center of the room where Narcissa and Lucius were dancing and hugging, an entire crowd watching them in awe.

"Mhm," Draco said, his jaw dropping just a little as he watched his parents, young and so hopeful for their future together.

A butler came by and bowed before Draco, offering him a silver tray full of sparkling drinks. Draco glanced sideways at Regulus, shrugged, and took one in his hands. The butler left.

"Can I...?"

"No, Reg."

Draco sipped the drink and held his plate full of food, his eyes still on his parents at the center of the room. Several crowd members gazed over him for several seconds and then looked back at the newlyweds with suddenly confused expressions on their faces.

 _They're figuring it out now,_ Draco thought to himself. _You don't stand a chance with this cover story._

"Fuck Dumbledore," Draco said out loud before he could stop himself.

"I know," Regulus sighed, his eyes also on the happy couple. "It seems selfish, for him to keep you from these people...from your true family...all these years."

"Yeah," Draco breathed, sipping his drink. His eyes landed on the painting of that black feathered unicorn with the leafless tree just behind it, which hung on the wall on the opposite end of the room. This very painting was auctioned off to some gambling warlock when Draco was nine years old. He remembered the day very well because his parents had argued over giving it away, his mother taking a strong stand in that it reminded her of a dream she'd once had about having a pet unicorn. The argument ended with Lucius managing to convince her to give it away and in return he'd grant her a brand new set of dress robes. She'd jumped at the offer and Draco had giggled childishly and excused himself from the room, neither of his parents noticing his absence as they'd embraced each other.

"Draco?" said Regulus, waving a hand in front of him.

"Huh? What?"

"There's some people here who I'd like you to meet," said Regulus.

Draco turned sideways and was taken aback at the sight of a beautiful blonde woman smirking at him with one hand on her hip and another holding a drink. Behind her, stood a much younger, shyer-looking brunette.

"This is Miss Fawley," Regulus introduced.

The blonde woman extended her arm to Draco and said, "Arabella Fawley."

Draco hesitated before shaking her hand. "I'm—"

"Oh we know who you are," said Miss Fawley, raising an eyebrow at him and smirking. "We do read the papers, you know."

"Great," Draco said, looking away. "Seems everyone knows more about me than I know about myself nowadays."

Miss Fawley smiled and turned to look at the girl behind her. "And this is my sister, Clementine."

"Pleased to meet you," Draco said, shaking her hand too and then looking back at his parents.

"I'll be back," Regulus whispered to him, excusing himself from the ladies and shifting over to the other side of the room to where Rosier and Nott were hanging out. Draco watched him briefly before his eyes landed back on his parents, now looking at each other lovingly as they danced.

"Charming, aren't they?" said Miss Fawley, now moving to stand closer to Draco and following his gaze to Lucius and Narcissa.

"Yeah," Draco managed, sipping his drink.

"Ironic though, isn't it?" said Miss Fawley, directing Draco's head towards her. "You were raised by one of the most celebrated wizards our world has ever seen, yet you've accounted for more fame in just four months than he has probably in his entire life."

Draco frowned. "Right..."

"Wouldn't you say so, Clementine?" said Miss Fawley, her eyes still on Draco.

The brown-haired girl nodded silently and clung closer to her sister. She looked to be about Regulus's age, if not perhaps younger. Draco's eyes shifted back to the blonde.

"Am I correct in assuming that one of your ancestors was a Minister for Magic?"

Miss Fawley's smile widened and she tilted her head slightly at Draco.

"You know your history well."

"Well I am an overachiever," Draco smirked.

Miss Fawley gave a laugh and took a sip of her drink.

"Yes, you are correct," she finally answered. "My grandfather was in office until the late 1930s."

"He was the one everyone criticized about Gallert Grindelwald, isn't he?" Draco said.

Miss Fawley's smile faded slightly, but her posture remained the same.

"Oh yes, you do know your history quite well," she finally said. "My grandfather was old when he was finally voted out of office. It was about time he retired." Her eyes examined Draco up and down before they landed upon his face again. "I can see you becoming minister one day."

"Not likely," said Draco with a small laugh.

"Oh?"

"It's not my forte."

"Hmm," said Miss Fawley, moving a little towards him. "And what exactly is your forte, prodigal Black?"

Draco shifted a little and looked away from her, his eyes landing on his parents again.

"I..." he said.

"My goodness, you're blushing!" Miss Fawley gasped, her smile as wide as ever.

Beside her, Clementine rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. Draco turned to look at Miss Fawley again. She looked to be maybe in her late twenties, no older. Her dress was very slim and she knew how to hold herself with confidence. She also smelled _incredible,_ but Draco decided it best not to tell her that part.

"You're adorable," she added, her fingers caressing his shoulder slightly. "I like you very much."

Draco didn't know what to say to that. He'd never met anyone so straightforward and direct.

"Oh don't get your hopes up now," she added, almost reading his thoughts exactly, a smile still on her face. "I don't go for younger boys and in fact, I am a married woman." She lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers so that Draco noticed the large sparkling rock.

"Where is your husband?" Draco wondered, a slight grin on his own face.

"He couldn't make it tonight," Miss Fawley said simply, stepping once away from him and sipping her drink. "Unfortunately he is a very busy man and doesn't have time to escort me to such gatherings as this."

Draco sensed a bit of resentment in her voice, but was too distracted by the way her long blonde hair curled down to her chest quite elegantly and stylishly.

She looked at Lucius and Narcissa, who were now posing for another photograph, this time of just the two of them, and sighed.

"They really do look happy together, don't they?"

Draco shifted his gaze from her and looked at his parents again. Lucius had an arm around Narcissa's waist and she was positively beaming.

"Yeah," he found himself agreeing, his glass rising to his lips. "They really do."

"It's all Narcissa's ever wanted," Miss Fawley continued. "I don't doubt that they will have a family growing soon enough."

Draco choked on his drink.

"Are you alright?" said Miss Fawley, patting him on the back as his coughs attracted some attention.

"Fine, fine," he gasped, accepting a glass of water that someone handed him and gulfing it down as quickly as he could so as to restrain himself.

"He doesn't look well," Clementine suggested. "Perhaps he should sit down?"

"I'm alright," Draco said, straightening up quickly.

He felt so bloody embarrassed that he found that he was excusing himself now and moving away from the two sisters and back to his little corner in the room where no one could bother him. He took his plate of food with him so that he'd have something to keep him busy while he surveyed the party room. Back in his safety net at last, he started on the salad and worked his way up to the shrimp, his eyes all the while on the two sisters as they began chatting with some gentlemen.

It was odd. He had met so many people tonight—people whom he'd never heard of—who believed in all the things that he was raised to trust and believe in. And yet, he couldn't feel more like an outsider tonight than ever. He felt almost like...like Sirius.

His eyes wandered about the room again and he had to really concentrate hard on chewing his pickle slice so as not to start sobbing right then and there. Being back in that house, having it look so different, seeing all these people here and then seeing his own parents and them not recognizing him...it was all starting to become too much for him.

Suddenly, one of the dark gossamer curtains hiding Draco from the party moved aside and someone stumbled into the shadows.

"Ow," she said, holding on to one of the walls and fixing the heel on her left shoe, a drink tipping slightly in the hand on the wall.

"Need any help?" Draco said, standing there awkwardly with his food plate.

The woman raised her head and looked at him in surprise, her eyes round.

"Um," she said, brushing some of the long dark curls away from her face and straightening up a bit, though still holding onto the wall, "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"It's alright," Draco mumbled, shrugging slightly and looking back at his plate, his hand still holding a shrimp. He hesitated, then looked up at the woman again. He could hardly see her properly in the shadows of the corner, but she stood there, not knowing what to do or say, just smiling awkwardly. Feeling unsure, Draco extended the hand with the shrimp. The woman smiled, placed her drink down on the floor and took a few steps towards him, accepting the shrimp.

"Why are you hiding out here?" she asked, taking a bite of it. "Mm, that's good sauce."

"I'm not hiding," Draco said, his eyes falling on the crowd behind the curtains again. "Just...just observing."

"Aha," said the woman, who looked to be more occupied with the shrimp than anything else. "They are rather annoying, aren't they? With all that 'prodigal Black' nonsense? I mean, can't they just let a man enjoy a simple little shrimp in peace?"

Draco gave the woman a strange look but she didn't seem to notice, obviously still more preoccupied with her little snack.

"Can I have another?" she said, reaching into his plate without waiting for an answer. Draco silently held it out for her and waited, rather like a butler, while she picked around until she found a good-looking one and began to nibble on it.

She seemed to be enjoying it so much that she hardly noticed her foot tipping over her drink and spilling it on the floor.

"Whoops," she said, looking down at it curiously. "That's not good. Hold this for me?" She handed Draco her shrimp and pulled up her dress to reveal a black garter on her right leg, inside of which was tucked a wand. At the sight of her underwear, Draco's eyes went round and he instantly looked up, clearing his throat and keeping his eyes firmly on where Regulus was standing with his friends. The woman waved her wand and the pool of wine disappeared from the floor, along with the glass. She then replaced the wand and straightened up.

"You can look now, I won't bite," she announced.

Draco looked back at her and sighed of relief. The woman smirked, both hands on her hips.

"Oh don't tell me you're a virgin."

Draco rolled his eyes and looked away from her again without answering.

"You are, aren't you?" she exclaimed, clapping her hands once. Draco opened his mouth to say something but then she then grew serious suddenly and he stared at her again. "Say, do you think I could have that shrimp back?"

Draco gave it to her without a word and she smiled, taking it from him before continuing to suck out the juice from it.

"Mmm," she said, her eyes closed as she enjoyed herself. When she looked at Draco again, he was moving things around the plate and picking up some kind of a roll which he started to eat.

"Is it really all that difficult for a bloke to get some action at Hogwarts nowadays?" the woman wondered out loud.

Draco looked round at her mid chew and she tilted her head at him.

"I'll bet Sirius has been getting plenty of action though, am I right?" she smirked. "That lad was always a male slut..." her grin widened "...even when he was still a virgin."

Draco frowned, his thoughts now on whether or not this woman was one of the many that Sirius had had the pleasure of devouring during his drunken pursuits.

"How...if you don't mind my asking, how much have you had to drink tonight?" Draco managed to say.

"Oh not too much, don't you worry about me," said the woman simply. "I have a fairly high tolerance for drinks. Besides, there is no way I'm surviving _this_ party on anything weaker than whiskey." She paused frowned down at the floor, where she'd spilled her drink before. "Although, I think that was wine I had been drinking."

"It was," Draco said.

The woman looked up at him and shrugged, as though it was a mere, casual, sun-filled afternoon.

"Did you go to Hogwarts?" Draco found himself asking.

"Mm, yeah, a while ago," she answered, reaching for another shrimp and proceeding to suck on the juice. "Slytherin house. And yourself?"

"Gryffindor," Draco muttered, looking away.

"Oh no," said the woman, shaking her head. "Nope, I don't buy it."

Draco stared at her, stunned. "But...I _am."_

"Honey, you may think you're in Gryffindor but a true Gryffindor wouldn't spend the entire party hiding out here behind the curtains. He'd be strutting around there with all the famous people, trying to prove that he's not afraid of being in a room full of vicious creatures like those." She gestured at the party and gave Draco a simple shrug before resuming her snack pursuits.

"I..." said Draco, completely speechless. "Well...well alright, what about you then?"

"I told you, I was a Slytherin," she said without looking at him.

"No, I mean, I've been out there a bit tonight and I haven't come by you."

"So?"

"Where've you been? Why haven't you come to congratulate the happy couple yet?"

The woman took a deep breath and folded her arms in front of her, leaning against the wall with her back to it and letting her eyes close. Draco watched her intently, his plate lowering slightly and his gaze fixed on the woman.

"I'm sure the happy couple could live without my congratulations," she declared in a soft voice.

"Why is that?" Draco wondered. "Who are you to them?"

The woman's eyes landed on him and she smiled sadly. "A ghost from the past, no more."

Draco continued to stare at her and she smiled at him again, leaning her head against the wall, her eyes still on him.

"Who brought you here tonight?"

"Orion and Walburga Black..." Draco mumbled in answer, "...a-and their son."

"Regulus."

"Yes."

"Hmm," said the woman, pursing her lips. "The Royal Blacks."

"Yes that's right," Draco muttered. "And who brought you here?"

She smiled again. "Honey, I brought myself. I hardly need an escort at age twenty-five, don't you think?"

Draco shrugged and looked down at his feet. The woman narrowed her eyes at him.

"What about Sirius?" Draco looked up. "Why isn't he here tonight? Last I heard, he was still a Black."

"He may still be a Black but he is no longer a Black residing at Grimmauld Place," Draco said before he could stop himself. His heart quickened again, and the woman, who'd looked calm and at-peace only moments before, now suddenly moved herself from the wall, fully alert and present.

"What happened?"

"I...i-it's fine," Draco stumbled. "H-he's just staying at a friend's, that's all. He's okay."

"The Potters'?"

Draco frowned. "Um, yeah."

"Oh don't look at me like that, everyone knows that Sirius Black and James Potter are best friends," said the woman quickly.

"I...I wasn't..." said Draco, shaking his head slightly and then stopping. "How well do you know James then?"

The woman started to move back towards the wall, looking deep in concentration but yet still present.

"Well," she replied.

"And Sirius?"

The woman smiled again and brought her eyes back to Draco. "Also well."

"Who—"

"I suppose I should go and refill my drink then," the woman interrupted, suddenly pushing herself away from the wall and straightening herself up, fixing her hair as well. "Do I look alright?"

"You look like you could use some sobering up," Draco offered. "Here, we can...we can go into the kitchens and ask for some coffee. It'll do you good."

"Goodness, you're so cute," said the woman. "I'm fine, Draco. But thank you for your concern."

Enjoying the look of shock plastered on his face, the woman winked at him before proceeding through the curtains.

"Wait!" Draco cried, spinning round. The woman froze at once, her hands still on the gossamer curtains hanging all around the little corner.

"I didn't catch your name," Draco said, feeling hopeful that he would see her again very soon. His conversation with her, however brief, had been so entertaining, that he'd managed to forget all about where he was and what was currently happening. She was a marvelous woman, indeed, and he had high hopes for meeting with her for many occasions to come.

She slowly turned on her heel now, her face shining up slightly in the light from the curtains that she was pulling back. Draco merely gasped. She looked to be the spitting image of Bellatrix, though with far more content facial features and not a scowl in sight.

"The name is Andromeda, but all the cool ones call me Andy, so I guess you can too," she finally answered, and with one last wink, she left him.

Draco remained there, looking in awe at where she'd disappeared. He looked down at his nearly empty plate, then at the spot on the floor where she'd spilled her drink, and then back up at the curtains in front of him.

That, right there, was one person he wouldn't forget anytime soon.

He moved to stand just near the curtains and looked through them, scanning the room for her. But it was as though she'd disapparated from the party completely. He sighed deeply, frustrated, and raised the plate he was holding, only to stop halfway. His eyes caught sight of Regulus, shifting about the room with his head bowed and an eager sort of edge to his step. He excused himself as he accidentally bumped into a few guests and shifted his way out of the room. Draco found himself moving out from his corner, his eyes always on Regulus as he walked right into the center of the party and the guests. He watched Regulus through the window on the opposite end, the boy sidestepping snow and shifting on and about.

"Nice to see you, Mr. Black!" some woman said, passing by Draco.

He nodded at her, smiling vaguely, then turned back to where Regulus was standing outside.

"Always wanted to meet the newest Black," said another woman.

"Mr. Black, what an honour!"

Draco smiled and nodded, placing his plate down on the nearest table and narrowing his eyes through the opposite window. There were several different shadows now, all grouped together with Regulus at the center. Five...six...maybe seven people dressed in black and barely visible to Draco. But when Draco's eyes landed on the tallest of the bunch, his heart stopped.

"Ah, Mr. Black! I haven't seen you all night!" said Professor Slughorn, moving to stand just in front of Draco, thus obscuring his vision from the scene out in the courtyard.

"Professor," Draco acknowledged, trying to see past him.

"Isn't it a splendid celebration?" said Professor Slughorn, beaming as he looked around the room and at the decorations. "I do believe they went above and beyond. I should've thought of these decorations for my own parties!"

"Perhaps next time," Draco mumbled, his eyes still on the window.

"Do you know what, that's an excellent idea!" said Professor Slughorn. "I've always thought that the food was more important than the decorations but in this case...oh, silly me...here I am, boring you with talk of nonsense. Tell me, how have your holidays been thus far? I imagine it is very interesting to spend the night at the old Grimmauld Place. And as a royal Black...well, it is just such an honour!"

"Yep, definitely an honour," said Draco distractedly. "Um, excuse me, professor."

He moved past him and bumped into several people, apologizing as he went. Hood or no hood, Draco had spent enough time with the wrong people to recognize that particular tall individual from a mile away.

He hurried through the double doors into the adjacent corridor and hid himself behind the pillar on the left, where he could have clear vision of the scene outside. He peeked through the ice cold window.

Regulus was standing by himself, facing a row of about six wizards in long black robes. Some had their hands casually in their pockets while others were tilting their heads at him. One of the wizards was whistling into the snowy night and shifting from one foot to the other as though he were cold. The tallest of the wizards had his hood on and was leaning back against the brick wall, also with his hands in his pockets. His face could barely be seen but it was clear that he was watching Regulus.

"...and I managed an excellent on that midterm," Regulus concluded, looking nervously at all the wizards.

"Very good," said one of them, smiling at him.

Regulus gave him a vague smile and then turned to that wizard, Selwynn, who was always standing on the side of... _him._

"W-why do you want to know about my grades?" he managed.

Selwynn tilted his head slightly to get a better look at Regulus, and took a deep breath before answering, so that the whole group could hear, "We care about you, Regulus. We only want you to be happy. And you will be happy if you get decent grades in school and have numerous doors opened to you after graduation."

Regulus swallowed nervously. "I...I don't do that well in Charms though..."

"That's alright," said Selwynn, shrugging. "Professor Flitwick has always been an idiot, there's no surprise there."

The men agreed unanimously. Regulus simply nodded and looked to the ground again. _He_ still had his hood covering his face, but Regulus was sure _he_ was watching him intently, trying best to figure him out...to see if he was even worth his time.

"What about Quidditch? How's that going?" the wizard called Rowle asked.

Regulus started to nod. "Um, yeah, a-also well. It's...it's a bit slow now...w-we won a game against H-Hufflepuff just before the holidays...a-and we're not due for another game until the end of January."

"So Slytherin is vying Gryffindor for first place now?"

"Mhm," said Regulus, swallowing nervously again. "Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff haven't m-managed enough points so they'll be competing for third place from now until the end of the year."

"I see," said Rowle, looking thoughtful. "Well, I'm sure you'll understand our absence from the final game, but we will be there in spirit, won't we, gentlemen?"

The men nodded and mumbled their agreement. Rowle turned to Regulus again. "We wouldn't want to lose, now would we?"

"N-no sir," said Regulus. "But..."

"But what, Regulus?"

"I...forgive me," he said, looking round at them all and particularly avoiding _his_ eyes, "I just...I can't really understand why you...c-care about...about how Slytherin does..."

There was a long silence. The men looked round at each other. Some whispered things. _He_ didn't even shift from under his hood, but remained fixed on something. Regulus was now starting to wonder whether he was looking at him at all. It seemed, now that he noticed, that _he_ was more interested with the window behind Regulus than anything else. In fact, he even doubted that _he_ had heard any part of this bizarre conversation. No. There was something in that window (Regulus was afraid to look away from the men to check) that was far more fascinating to _him_ than all this talk.

"We care about you, dear Regulus," said Selwynn on behalf of all the men. "We care about you deeply. And all we want is your happiness as well as your success, just as we are sure you want for us, correct?"

Regulus nodded.

"We just want to make sure that all areas of your life are...satisfying you."

"A-and if they're not?"

Selwynn frowned at Regulus again and pursed his lips before answering, very quietly, "You just need to say the word, young one. Just say the word and all will be put rightfully so."

"I-I'm fine," Regulus stuttered suddenly. "S-seriously, there's...there's no need of remedying anything right now, I promise."

"Well then we believe you," said Selwynn simply. "We are on _your_ side here."

"And speaking of putting things rightfully," said one of the other gentlemen whom Regulus didn't recognize, "Where is your brother?"

Regulus's heart nearly stopped. He hadn't expected this question. He hadn't expected them to show up at all tonight! He'd been having so much fun in that party room and then seeing them in the courtyard, waiting for him, knowing that he had no choice but to follow them out for this little meeting...he wanted to throw up right there and then.

"H-he couldn't make it," he finally managed, earning himself a few surprised looks from the men as they glanced at each other.

The hood shifted slightly.

"To his own cousin's wedding?" Selwynn said. "How ruthless."

"Your family must be very disappointed," said the stone cold voice from beneath the hood, still not moving.

Regulus took a deep, unsteady breath to try and keep his heart going.

"Y-yes, my lord, we all are."

Another long silence. The men seemed to be waiting for something...permission to speak, perhaps. Some of them shifted uncomfortably, others just watched Regulus intently. Then, the cold voice spoke again, in a very hushed, hiss-like sort of manner.

"When you get back to school," it said, "Do take it upon yourself to inform your brother of how irresponsible his actions have been."

Regulus breathed again.

"And do tell him whom this message comes directly from."

"Yes, my lord," Regulus repeated. "I shall."

"Very good," said Selwynn. "Also," he took a step forward and lowered his voice even more, "It's probably best that you not mention this conversation to your mother or to anyone else. What one doesn't know won't hurt them."

"Of course," Regulus said. "I won't say anything."

"We just...want you to know that...we're here for you...whatever you need," said Rowle, also looking kind and sympathetic.

"Good to know," Regulus said. "Um, thank you."

Suddenly, _he_ pulled himself away from the wall, his hood still kept, and took a few steps towards Regulus. Then, _he_ lifted his arm and extended it. Regulus hesitated before collecting himself and offering his hand to shake. It was a very normal shake, not intimidating at all like he'd expected it to be.

Apparently satisfied, the Dark Lord said, "Until the next time then, Regulus Black," and quickly the men began to follow him out of the courtyard in a single file. Regulus remained standing there in the snow, not caring how cold his fingers and toes felt now, and watched them disappear into the shadows of the night, leaving all their promises behind with Regulus. This was good, he was sure of it. He just wasn't quite sure as to why he felt incredibly shaky now. Perhaps it was just the cold. He turned, and with one last look at where his new friends had disappeared to, he headed back inside.

Draco pressed himself up against the shadows of the wall and Regulus passed right by him, his head bowed as he walked. Once he was gone, Draco let out a shaky breath and turned back to the window to look at the part of the courtyard where the group of Death Eaters had disappeared. He could still feel the Dark Lord's gaze on him through the window from moments before...how he'd just _known_ that Draco was there, watching.

Was this what Dumbledore had meant then, when he'd said that it was always going to happen, whether Draco was involved or not? Sirius was always going to run away from home...was Regulus always meant to be killed then?

* * *

Draco returned to the reception area with his head bowed and his thoughts clouded over. He kept his hands in his pockets as he walked, unaware of what he was walking into anymore, oblivious to the people he bumped into or the photographs that the Daily Prophet reporters took of him from their little corners. He only snapped out of it when Bellatrix stopped before him, one hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised.

"...awfully pale..."

Draco raised his eyes slightly from the floor to meet hers and her eyebrows rose even further.

"Did you hear me?" she said in a slightly muffled voice.

"What?" Draco managed.

"I said, you look awfully pale," she repeated, finally reaching Draco's ears, as did the rest of the crowd noise in the room.

Slow music started to play and guests started to join the dance floor. Bellatrix looked around for a moment and then fixed her gaze on Draco.

"Will you take me to dance then?"

She offered her hand to him but he just stood there, staring at it, his thoughts still with the courtyard.

"Come on," Bellatrix said, grabbing his hand and moving him with her to the center of the room. She placed his left hand on her hip and took his other hand in hers while she gripped his shoulder. Draco nodded slowly and started to move with her. She brought them closer so that she could see over his shoulder as he could over hers, and for a while, they just danced in silence, watching the couples all around them enjoying the music as they too swayed and twirled.

Draco remained ignorant to all the camera flashes directed at him from various corners of the room. He disregarded all the people watching him and whispering things to each other, whether it was about his looks or his behaviour or his overall character. His body may have been there in the reception area, but his mind was still back in the courtyard, with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Voldemort...coming all this way just to have a chat with a young, unimportant boy...a boy whom he had no relation to or any real interest in whatsoever. It was sickening, knowing now that Draco was never played like that by him, but Regulus was.

"I haven't seen you much tonight," Bellatrix said into his ear now.

Draco blinked.

"Yeah, I've...been here and there..."

"Or hiding is more like it."

Draco suddenly moved so that he could look at her.

"I don't hide from anyone," he declared.

She smiled. "I knew you were special."

"What do you mean?"

"From the moment I met you...I knew you were different."

"Different good? Different bad?"

"Neither," said Bellatrix. "You seem to have this...certain air about you...you were raised by Dumbledore alright, but you're just like the rest of us."

"Funny, I don't see that," Draco mumbled, looking away from her.

"Oh but I do," she said, turning him back to her. "You are the perfect blend...an ideal replacement for that traitor Sirius."

It took a while before Draco realized that the music had stopped and he and Bellatrix were no longer moving. He eyed her carefully. She and Andromeda looked so much alike, but yet with such prominent differences in their facial features. It surprised him now how very little his mother resembled either of them.

"You know about...about what happened with Sirius?" Draco said instead.

Bellatrix smiled. "Uncle Orion wrote to our family two nights ago, yes." She sighed deeply. "And good riddance too." Draco stared at her and pursed her lips again. "I suppose you're it now."

"Hey," said Regulus, appearing at their side.

Draco tore his eyes away from Bellatrix and looked at the young boy. "Where've you been?" he shot at him.

"Out," Regulus said, looking puzzled. "I...I went out to get some air! What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," Draco muttered. He turned to leave, then suddenly jumped. Narcissa was standing just at his side, in her elegantly flowing dress, a perplexed expression on her face.

"Hello," she said, her eyes surveying all of Draco's face.

"Um, c-congratulations," Draco managed, feeling out of breath suddenly.

"Cissy, you've met Draco, haven't you?" said Bellatrix. "The newest member of our posse."

"How do you do?" said Narcissa, extending her arm. Draco took it, his knees about to buckle beneath him.

"Come on, Reg, we still haven't had a chance to dance," Bellatrix said, grabbing Regulus's arm and pulling him away with her, though not before she playfully stuck her tongue out at Draco.

Draco looked long and hard at Narcissa, standing before him. The moment had come at last...the moment that he'd been dodging all night long. He had no choice now but to face it, whether he was ready or not.

"Shall we dance?" Narcissa offered.

Music came on again and people around them started moving around. Draco took a deep breath and stepped towards Narcissa. She took his hand and began following him around on the dance floor, slowly, their eyes on each other. She looked to be battling with herself, trying to figure something out...trying to understand...

"I know what you're thinking," Draco said in spite of himself.

"Yes?" said Narcissa, raising an eyebrow in a very Bellatrix-like manner.

"You're thinking that I look a lot like you," Draco declared, unable to filter anything he was saying anymore.

"Actually no," said Narcissa, surprising him a great deal. "No. I was more thinking along the lines of how odd it is that I have always pictured having a son one day whom I would name Draco...and then you come along."

Draco swallowed hard. "It's just a name."

"I know," said Narcissa, thoughtfully. "It just...it seems odd. I can't understand it. I don't know what to think anymore. I mean, when my sister told me that she'd met you and that you looked to be the spitting image of me, I didn't believe it. And now I see it for myself and..."

"I _am_ related to you all," Draco began. "It's possible that I just got more of your genes in me than anyone else's."

Narcissa nodded.

"I doubt anyone will ever understand it," Draco breathed.

"So...really, there is no reason for us to analyze it now, is there?" said Narcissa, surprising him again.

It was like she _knew._ It was like she knew but she didn't want to say it. Didn't want to ruin it.

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "Yeah, that's probably for the best."

Narcissa nodded again. Then, she grew serious.

"What?" said Draco, still dancing.

She bit her lip before looking up at him again. "I'm still very fond of the name. And Lucius and I want to start a family in a few years' time."

Draco let out a laugh. "If you're asking me for permission to use the name you've saved since you were a little girl, you have it."

Narcissa smiled.

"Trust me, it's...it's flattering more so than anything else, that you would want to name any future children you have by my name."

"Well I'm glad you think so," she responded.

"And might I add..." Draco said, lowering his voice a little more so that only she could hear him, "...that you look absolutely beautiful tonight."

Narcissa's smile widened. "Aren't you sweet..."

Draco suddenly grew serious. "Do you love him?"

"Sorry?"

"Do you _love_ him?"

"I..." said Narcissa, who hadn't expected this question at all. Then, she smiled softly. "Yes. I do. Very much."

"Then hold onto that," Draco said in a nearly pleading voice. "Don't ever let go of that feeling. Keep it in your heart for the rest of your life, no matter what happens."

"I will," said Narcissa, frowning at him.

"Promise that you will," Draco said. "You can't just give up when things get difficult. You have to hold onto that belief. You have to remember that feeling and never forget it."

Narcissa's own face grew serious now and she looked at Draco intently.

"I will," she promised.

Draco hugged her closer to him and bit back tears as he looked on over her shoulder and examined the familiar room again. There was nothing he wanted more in than moment than to shake her and yell for her to remember him. To feel so disconnected from one's parent was truly heartbreaking, almost unbearable, but to be back in that room as well, to be back where it all had started and not to be able to share that with anyone...

Even though they'd already been wealthy by the time Draco had been born, it was she whom he'd felt closest to. Even though he'd been fed by nurses assigned to raise him from infancy, it was _she_ whom he'd always loved the most. _She_ who sang songs to him and read books to him... _she_ who had always, always, _always_ been on his side, no matter what. And now to dance with her on her wedding day, the happiest day of her life, surely, and have her not remember him...not knowing who he was...having no recollection of any of these wonderful memories that he so treasured...

Perhaps Dumbledore was right in refusing Draco to tell him things—to share that world with him or with anyone else. But he had no way of knowing what this was doing to Draco...how it was slowly and painfully killing him inside...how he was dying under the weight of all these secrets that he couldn't even keep track of anymore. It no longer had anything to do with his being in Gryffindor or even associating himself with that crowd. This just wasn't him. None of it. Dancing here with all these people, talking about the war...this wasn't who he was. And he had never felt surer of that than he did now.

"Draco, the song has ended," Narcissa said.

He hesitated before pulling back from her. His face completely broken now, he nodded and let go of her hands. She eyed him curiously, apparently recognizing the pained look on his face.

"Let's go somewhere," she offered.

He looked at her.

"Let me show you around the house a bit," she continued. "You look like you could do with a bit of peace right now. Big crowds like this; it can all get very overwhelming."

Draco simply nodded and followed her out of the room, ignoring the looks that he got from guests. He followed Narcissa out into the corridor and she pulled out her wand and muttered _Lumos._

"I only moved in here a few months ago," she began, leading him down the corridor until they reached the main entranceway to Malfoy Manor. "I suppose we'll just start here then." She paused to look at him. "Right through this way is our kitchen. It's a lot like the one Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga have, I suppose. Or rather, it reminds me of it a lot." She looked at him again. "I'd spent a lot of time in that kitchen when I was younger. My family and I used to come around Grimmauld Place every holiday and most weekends as well. That changed as we grew older. Everyone got busy. And then when the war started, well...it became a rarity that we were all in the same place at the same time." A pause. "That's why today means so much to me. To have everyone here again, celebrating."

Draco looked at her. She looked so different from the mother that he'd previously known. She acted different too. There was far more innocence and naivety about this woman, perhaps the reason for it being simply that she was a lot younger now and far less experienced with life in general. Still though, Draco found it a bizarre sensation to be talking to her in this way now, disregarding every moment of wisdom she'd once shown and every lecture she'd given.

"I thought I saw your house elf earlier," he said out loud now.

"Dobby," Narcissa said. "He's Lucius's elf but, hah, well I suppose he's mine now too."

"As is the rest of this manor," Draco agreed, looking around the entranceway before his eyes landed on her again. "Something tells me you'll be a good woman of the house."

"Well, here's to hoping," Narcissa laughed. "My sister seems to think it'd have been wiser for us to move in to a new place. Start completely fresh."

"But...?"

She paused, biting her lip. "But I quite like this place actually. And Lucius is so connected to it, I doubt he's ready to leave it behind. It's his family home."

"He would for you though," Draco observed.

Narcissa frowned at him and then shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me where we start our life together, as long as it's together."

"That's a good attitude," Draco offered. "So on with the tour then?"

"Yes," said Narcissa, turning to lead him through the archway to the Sitting Room where he used to horse around with his friends over summer break.

"Nice space," Draco said, looking around the room. It only looked slightly different than from what he was used to. The very same style couches and all, but different colours arranged into the same corners of the room where they'd remain for years to come.

"Lucius says this is going to be the room where we'll gather with our friends and host meetings."

"What sort of meetings?"

Narcissa hesitated before answering softly, "Oh you know, just war effort things...political stuff."

Draco thought for a minute. "Is Lucius heavily involved in the war politics?"

"No," said Narcissa simply. "But he wants to be."

"He wants to personally meet with the Dark Lord?"

Narcissa spun round to look at him, outraged.

"You could get into serious trouble for saying things like that!" she hissed. "People are being brought in everyday and questioned even on the slightest suspicions of their association with the Death Eaters."

"And you never answered my question," Draco observed. "Do you both wish to be associated with him?"

If only she'd known that the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters had been in _her_ courtyard just only moments ago, meeting with _her_ cousin...

"I can live without it," Narcissa confirmed without blinking.

"I was just curious," said Draco, simply. "I don't know you very well. I'm just trying to get to know my family tonight."

"Then ask me what my favourite colour is," said Narcissa. "Don't ruin this day for me with talk of the war and...and of him."

"I'd have thought you'd all worship him, given that he represents everything you all believe in," Draco muttered.

Narcissa paused before answering, "You can agree with someone, certainly, and even support their pursuits, without actually worshipping them."

That right there confirmed Draco's suspicions. At this moment, neither Narcissa nor Lucius nor any of the people at this party really, had the faintest idea of what the Dark Lord was truly capable of. Perhaps they'd heard stories and rumours, and even had their own theories and suspicions, but none of them knew.

Draco sighed deeply and closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. "I sincerely hope you remember that one day, Narcissa."

"What do you mean?" she said, and he opened his eyes to look at her. Perhaps he had gone too far now.

"What do you mean?" she repeated urgently.

"I just...I just worry about the war, is all," he finally said, smiling softly at her. "I worry sometimes because you never know what a person will do in a desperate situation."

"What desperate situation?"

"War changes people. They...make choices they wouldn't have made otherwise. Or at least that's the way I see it. And anyway, I just...I want you to be happy. You seem like a lovely person and you deserve it."

"Oh," Narcissa sighed, taking a step towards him and suddenly placing the palm of her hand gently on his cheek in a very caring way. Draco flinched at her touch and, noticing, she pulled away from him and offered a smile instead. "I know how difficult it must be for you. You practically have no family of your own. Being raised in an orphanage, with nobody but Albus Dumbledore for a companion...I can't even imagine it." She paused again. "But wars don't last forever, Draco."

"I needed to hear those words," he admitted, smiling back.

"Come on," she smiled, obviously pleased with herself. "Let me show you the rest of the house."

When they returned to the reception area, Narcissa was almost immediately pulled away from Draco by several guests eager to take more photos. They tried to grab Draco as well but he dodged them and instead hurried over to where Regulus was with his friends. Before he could get there however, someone grabbed his arm. He spun around to look at none other than his own father. Lucius stared at Draco, perplexed, and offered him a hand. Draco shook it.

"Lucius Malfoy, groom," he said in his important, though evidently much younger voice than Draco was used to.

"Draco Black, stranger," Draco replied.

Lucius smirked. "I'd hardly call you a stranger—you're the most popular person in this room tonight."

"I seriously doubt that," said Draco with a nervous laugh, looking around at all the people watching him.

Lucius tilted his head slightly as he kept his eyes on him.

"I read the papers, you know," he began, turning Draco's attention back to him. "And I've seen all the articles. All the headlines. I've seen the photos that they've managed to print of you, but they were never quite clear. You always seemed to be dodging the camera or turning away from the cameraperson. Never in full sight. So you can imagine my surprise tonight when I finally saw just how much you resemble my new bride. So much, that if you grew your hair out and possibly braided it, well, I suppose you'd look a lot like myself!"

"Right," Draco said, adding another nervous laugh.

"But you were hiding for so long," said Lucius, frowning again.

"It was good while it lasted," Draco shrugged. "I suppose after tonight, there will be no more hiding."

"Well why hide when you can live in the spotlight?" Lucius observed.

Yep. He was definitely his father.

"I suppose some people just aren't ready for the spotlight yet," Draco offered.

Lucius smirked again. "I like you. You're a good lad."

"Thank you," Draco said.

Lucius pulled an arm around Draco and turned to look at the room.

"So what do you think of my humble home?"

"It's splendid," Draco said quickly.

"That's awfully kind of you," said Lucius, moving him to the center of the room. "Here, we must get a proper photo."

"Oh, t-that's...that's really not...necessary..." Draco mumbled, trying to get away from his grip, but Lucius wasn't having any of it.

"Nonsense, it'll give all those nosey wizards something to talk about!"

"N-no sir, I really don't think it's a good..."

 _"Sir?"_ Lucius frowned. "What in the ruddy, I'm only four or five bloody years older than you, lad."

"I just...I just meant that..."

"Come on, gents, a photo for the Prophet!" Lucius announced, summoning several eager photographers before him at once. He kept his arm around Draco and smiled proudly at the flashing cameras, while Draco stood alongside him, almost sure of the wreck plastered on his own face.

His father was acting almost exactly like he had acted in his fourth or fifth year. He was so aware of his status and so... _Malfoy._

"That'll do," Lucius said finally, waving the photographers away and turning back to Draco. "You'll have to come by sometime for dinner."

"I..."

"That's not a suggestion," Lucius corrected. "You're a Black who looks like a Malfoy. You're coming."

Draco let out a laugh. "Yeah. Yeah, alright, I'll be sure to come by."

"Good," said Lucius, extending his hand again. "Until then."

Draco shook it.

Just as suddenly as this happened, the small crowd around them began to part as a woman's voice said, "Well, well..."

Draco and Lucius both turned to find Andromeda walking towards them through the crowd, a full drink glass in her left hand. Her walk wasn't staggering yet, but she had definitely had loads tonight. Narcissa shifted between people and joined Lucius's side now. Their fingers entwined and suddenly, Draco got an urge to grab a drink off of the tray of a passing butler, and took a long swig of it. He was not ready for any of this.

"If it isn't my dear little sis..." said Andromeda, smiling brightly as she stopped just in front of the newlyweds.

Narcissa's eyes widened slightly at the sight of her.

"Andy..." she said, glancing sideways to where Bellatrix stood with a grim expression on her face. Narcissa turned back to her other sister.

"What are you...?"

"What am I doing here?" said Andromeda, speaking loudly and fearlessly so that the crowd could hear her. Though, many remained oblivious to this scene and continued about their little conversations and dances and plates full of exotic food.

"I got your invitation and I had to see it for myself." Her eyes landed on Lucius and she pursed her lips. "You are Lucius Malfoy then?"

"Pleasure to meet you," said Lucius, extending a hand to her. She took a sip of her drink without offering her own hand and then looked at Narcissa again.

"What gives, Cissy?"

Lucius glanced at Draco now standing behind Andromeda and then slowly retrieved his extended hand.

"I'm not sure what you—"

"You're twenty one!" said Andromeda, hushing her voice slightly as she clearly became aware of the small crowd listening in among the much larger crowd that was completely oblivious to the situation. "Why are you running off and getting married to someone you barely know?"

"Andy, I..."

"Actually, we've known each other since school," Lucius chimed in, putting his arm around Narcissa's waist almost possessively, as though to send a message, and shifting her closer to him. She offered a smile and then looked at Andromeda.

Draco shifted in between people so as to avoid the flashes of the cameras, and found himself standing next to Regulus again. Regulus gave him a 'this ought to be good' look and continued to stare on at the two arguing sisters.

"I love him," Narcissa was telling Andromeda now. "And when you love someone, there really isn't any point in waiting. Besides, what's it to you?"

"Right," said Andromeda slowly, her eyes shifting between the newlyweds before she scoffed and sipped her drink again.

"The question is..." said another voice, and a few people parted to let the speaker through, "...why a woman as old as you isn't married yet?"

Andromeda only smiled, her arms folded in front of her and the glass of wine still in her hand.

"If Cissy can snatch a husband so quickly," Bellatrix continued, tilting her head at her sister as though analyzing her, "Why can't you?"

"It's nice to see you too, Bella," Andromeda responded, looking her up and down once. "I see you haven't changed."

Bellatrix let out a cold laugh and put a hand on Narcissa's shoulder as she joined her side.

"Change is overrated," she announced, giving her younger sister a secret smile which Narcissa reciprocated, before her eyes landed on her other sister again and she frowned.

"Clearly, it is," Andromeda agreed, looking away from them and again sipping her drink.

"Perhaps you've had enough to drink tonight," Lucius suggested in a bold voice, which was thoroughly ignored by Andromeda.

"What are you doing here, Andromeda?" Bellatrix suddenly said, her face serious.

"Having a laugh," she answered.

"You're not welcome here," Bellatrix told her.

"Oh, you're one to talk," Andromeda said, laughing again as she now began to slowly walk in a circle around the three. "I received an invitation, and as the older sister of the beautiful, _beautiful_ young bride, I feel very welcome here and my presence definitely necessary."

"You were invited out of formality," Bellatrix clarified, her voice hiss-like now. "No one actually wants you here."

"We didn't think you'd show up," Narcissa added momentarily. "Given what's happened, it's not...not appropriate."

Andromeda stopped walking and tilted her head at her. "You're marrying a man you've known for all of five minutes, a man who is notorious for wanting to impress all the wrong people, and _I'm_ being inappropriate here?"

There was silence as the three exchanged looks, and Lucius stood there looking awkward and uncomfortable (but not at all offended).

"Yeah, alright," said Andromeda, answering her own question. "Let's call it that, Cissy."

"You don't want to believe it?" said Bellatrix before Narcissa could offer any words. She turned her body so that she could gesture freely at an older couple sitting on a sofa at the end of the room. "You be my guest."

Andromeda only smiled at her sister before taking a few steps towards her so that she was right in front of her, ignoring the couple she was pointing at. "I do not need father and stepmother to tell me again what I already know. And besides," she turned to Narcissa, "I am only here to congratulate the happy couple." Back to Bellatrix. "I wouldn't ever _dream_ of starting something up at such a joyous occasion." She then paused and tilted her head at Lucius. "Is this not the grandest celebration that the purebloods have had in over a century?"

Lucius cleared his throat and looked around at the few people listening in before he gave a slightly less than confident nod in Andromeda's direction.

Draco specifically watched Narcissa's arm around Lucius tighten slightly as she clung closer to him. Andromeda looked at her youngest sister long and hard, disbelief splattered across her face as her eyes bore into Narcissa's with a mixture of pain, fury, and maybe little bit of betrayal.

"Forget it," she finally said, placing her half empty wine glass on the tray of the passing-by butler. "This party was boring enough to begin with anyway." She turned away from them and cryptically added, "Say hello to mummy and daddy for me," before walking away from them with her head held high. She stopped just in front of Draco and Regulus and gave them both a warm smile which told Draco that she wasn't fazed whatsoever by what had just happened.

"You're welcome to join me, by the way," she told him.

Draco glanced sideways at Regulus before adding quietly, "Join you where?"

"To a _real_ party," Andromeda said, giving him a wink. She didn't wait for his answer but instead let herself out of the room, which told Draco that her inviting him was strictly an attempt to further annoy the newlyweds.

And it worked too.

Narcissa, Lucius and Bellatrix as well stared after Andromeda, with Draco and Regulus just behind them, also watching.

"I don't like that woman," Lucius commented, his eyes still on the door.

"Join the club," Bellatrix offered, grabbing a nearby drink and finishing it off within seconds.

Regulus turned to look at Draco. "I think I've had just about enough of this wedding, you?"

Draco took a deep breath and nodded.

He then looked round at his parents. His father seemed to be consoling his mother, who looked upset over what had just happened. Bellatrix had run off to dance with some man Draco didn't recognize. He looked back to Regulus.

"Let's check out the house."

None of the wedding guests seemed to notice Draco and Regulus slipping by them and out of the reception area. They walked along the corridor leading to the main entranceway and then Draco led Regulus up the stairs and through one of the doors into the family Drawing Room.

"This is the Drawing Room," he announced, letting Regulus through.

Regulus looked around. "Looks pretty fair to me," he mumbled. "Why are we doing this again?"

"I want to show you around," Draco said simply. "Come on."

He hurried Regulus further on up the stairs until they reached the second landing, where there was a door that would one day be marked _Draco Malfoy._ Right now, it bore no title. Draco turned the handle and walked through. It looked to be a library, filled with books upon books piled in shelves, on the floor, etc.

"Dusty in here," Regulus coughed, closing the door behind him.

Draco slowly walked into the center of the room. It seemed like _ages_ since he'd last stood on those hardwood floors, since he'd last eyed that long window overlooking the Malfoy Manor gates. It was like a dream, standing there and seeing it all firsthand. He'd honestly thought he never would again.

"I thought we'd maybe go outside for some air," Regulus said. "Not...not up here...are we even supposed to be here?"

 _Reg, it's fine, this is my room,_ Draco thought. He gave the boy no answer but instead moved towards the piles of books and brought himself to his knees, coughing slightly as he picked one up.

 _Tales of Beedle the Bard_

"I can't believe it's here," Draco laughed, looking down at the title with near tears in his eyes.

Regulus joined him from behind and looked over his shoulder.

"Beedle the bard?" he said. "Oh what's the big deal, every pureblooded household owns a copy of that book."

Draco only ran his fingers along the title, remembering it as though it were only yesterday. The next best thing would be finding photographs of his family lying around. But he knew that wouldn't happen because his family was just downstairs, getting together for the first time. Today, those photographs were nonexistent. Sighing deeply, Draco blinked through his tears and put the book back on top of the pile from which he'd fetched it.

"This looks interesting," Regulus said, bending down next to Draco and mercilessly grabbing another book from the tower. It collapsed instantly.

"Reg!" Draco cried, shuffling around to put all the books back in order.

He knew his father well enough to know that he'd have forced Dobby to make sure everything stayed in place as is, and that if anything had been moved, that meant that there was an intruder inside the house.

"Put everything back where you found it," he kept repeating, urging Regulus to help him.

"Wait hold on," Regulus said, picking up a black notebook from underneath the pile. "What's this?"

Draco merely glanced at it and then rolled his eyes and continued cleaning. "I'll get you a brand new one when we get back to school, alright?"

"No Draco, this is ancient bound leather, crafted only by a muggle, no one else," Regulus said. "Look at it!"

Draco sighed and looked down at the notebook in Regulus's hands.

"So...?"

"Why would the Malfoys have a notebook by a muggle craftsman in their midst?" Regulus said, his eyebrows raised.

"I don't know, Reg, maybe they collect them," Draco said exhaustively, taking the book from him and flipping through it. "It's nothing important, see? None of the pages have even been written in."

He flipped to the back cover and, noticing the miniscule writing branded on the bottom, he narrowed his eyes at it.

"Reg," he said, suddenly feeling extremely beat from this night, "I'm really tired right now and quite possibly buzzed from all the drinks...can you read what that says for me?"

He offered the notebook to Regulus and the boy looked down at it under the candlelight by the couch.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle," he read out loud.

"Thought so," Draco sighed, taking a proper seat on the floor.

"Anyone you know?" Regulus said without looking up at him as he continued to look through the empty pages of the notebook.

"Nope," Draco said routinely, himself ignoring the raging battle going on inside his head now.

He was much too tired to pay much attention to it at this point. Whatever this notebook was, it was the property of the Dark Lord. And there was not a single reason that Draco could come up with that would explain what this object was doing in his parents' home.

But Regulus seemed far more interested with the book now than anything else, his eyes bulging with excitement, which brought Draco to his next question.

"Exactly what possessed you to go out into the courtyard and meet with those demented wizards tonight?"

Regulus looked up with round eyes.

"How did you—?"

"Avoiding the question, Regulus," Draco practically sang.

Regulus stared at him, not knowing what to say or do, the notebook in his hands closing.

"How much did you hear?" he finally asked.

"Enough," Draco replied. "But I'd rather you explained it to me before I came to rather wild conclusions myself."

"That was a private conversation, Draco," Regulus began. "It...you had no business—"

"I HAD NO BUSINESS?!" Draco cried. "I HAD EVERY FUCKING RIGHT GOING AFTER YOU! AND I'M BLOODY WELL GLAD I DID!"

"Draco, calm down—"

"No, Regulus! I mean, how the hell am I supposed to protect you when you so willingly go out and play with the safest crowd?!"

There was a pause. "It's not your job to protect me, Draco." Draco looked at him incredulously and Regulus nodded. "Besides, I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was just...talking to them."

"Why though?" said Draco, slightly more calm now.

"They just like to check up on me, I dunno," Regulus said, shrugging. "You know, just to see how I'm doing...i-it's nothing, really." Draco looked up at him. "Seriously, there's no reason for you to tell my parents, alright?"

"Regulus, I—

"No _please_ Draco!" Regulus hissed frantically. "I'd given them my word that I wouldn't say anything and—"

"Why are you keeping your promises to them?!" Draco hissed at him. "Why are you _making_ any promises to these people? Reg, do you...have you any idea...?"

"Oh calm down, Draco," said Regulus dismissively. "I only _wish_ I could tell my parents! Do you have any idea how proud of me they'd be? They'd probably throw a party!"

"They...they would?"

"But I promised the guys that I wouldn't say anything...somehow, they don't want people to know that they've taken an interest in me."

"The guys...?"

"And anyway, it's like I said, not a big deal because I'm not doing anything wrong," Regulus concluded.

Draco stared on at him while Regulus took the notebook from him and further examined it. "Do you know what, I think this might be more than just some notebook..."

"What's more to it, though? Nothing's been written," Draco muttered. He grabbed the notebook from Regulus again and proceeded to flip through the pages, running his fingers along them and trying hard to find some kind of text...some more clues...something that would explain to him why a random muggle-crafted notebook apparently belonging to the Dark Lord was hidden in Draco's old room at Malfoy Manor.

"I have a book on dark magic at home that might be of some help to you," Regulus offered.

"Why do you reckon it's dark magic?" Draco wondered without looking up at him.

"Because it's nothing I've ever come across in my studies at Hogwarts," Regulus said softly. "So chances are, whatever kind of magic it is, it's probably something they wouldn't teach at school." He paused. "Unless it really is just some random muggle notebook in a pureblood house."

"Mm," said Draco, still flipping through the pages.

In his mind, he was trying hard not to have another fit or, worse, choke Regulus for his stupidity now.

He looked up at him suddenly.

"What?" said Regulus, puzzled.

"When did it start?" Draco asked. Regulus frowned at him for a moment before he understood. He thought for a minute.

"Just after last Christmas," he said. "It was a rarity back then, but it's become more frequent now. They...they want details about my life, you know? About the way that I am, how I live..." he smiled to himself now.

"And your parents have no idea?"

"No, I told you. They won't let me say a word to anyone. I think they're just waiting for the right time."

"And Sirius?"

Regulus shook his head.

Draco sighed deeply.

"If this is something that makes you feel so damn flattered and proud," he began, "Then why did you sound so scared out there in the courtyard?"

Regulus's eyes went round as he stared at Draco.

"For the last bloody time," he said in a bare whisper, "Stay the fuck out of my personal life."

It was all Draco could do not to punch Regulus right then and there. But he stopped himself before he could. Hitting Regulus was not going to change anything here. Draco didn't want to fight. And he sure as hell wasn't going to go through another period of silence with the kid. No, the only way he could see himself ever rescuing him from this tangled web that he'd gotten himself into, was by being at his side...being his friend...

"You're right," Draco found himself saying. "You're right, I...I'm sorry."

Regulus nodded slowly. "Just...just be happy for me, Draco, okay?" Draco looked up at him. "Good things are happening for me! I'm...I'm finally getting noticed, and by all the right people. They say that the war won't last much longer because the Death Eaters will eventually take over the ministry and get rid of all those mudbloods out there and our world will finally be pure again...just like how it's supposed to be."

"Yeah," Draco said, nodding enthusiastically as he looked down at the notebook in his hands again. "Here's to hoping."

"Everything will be alright," Regulus said confidently.

"Just promise me one thing," Draco said, taking a deep breath.

"What?"

He looked up at him again.

"The next time you have a meeting with them, you'll tell me about it afterwards?" Regulus raised his eyebrows slightly and Draco sighed again. "I'm...I'm curious..."

At this, Regulus beamed at him and gave an encouraging nod. "I promise."

"Thank you all so much for coming!" Narcissa said as she beamed at the leaving guests.

"It really was wonderful celebrating with everyone," Lucius added.

Some of the guests were already drunk and ready to collapse. Others were hugging relatives and hurriedly making plans to do this again sometime. Narcissa and Lucius stood at the edge of the courtyard, taking turns hugging the people leaving and thanking them again. Draco and Regulus were among the crowd, waiting for Orion and Walburga to say their goodbyes so that the four could leave together.

"Where's Bellatrix?" Regulus wondered out loud.

"She went home with that tall gentleman with the moustache," said Miss Fawley, appearing in front of them.

"Whoa," said Regulus, looking away and blushing slightly.

Draco rolled his eyes at him and turned to Miss Fawley.

"Are you leaving then?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," said Miss Fawley. "I won't be staying for an after party this time. Clementine doesn't feel very well. I'm afraid she'd managed to smuggle something from the bar."

"Oh no," said Draco.

"Yes, I shall make sure to get that barman fired," Miss Fawley said bitterly. She then changed her face and looked at Draco. "If you shall ever need anything, I do hope you'll remember me."

"And what could you possibly ever help me with?" Draco wondered.

Miss Fawley gave a slight shrug. "I'm a powerful woman, Mr. Black. I take care of my friends."

"Oh so we're friends then, are we?"

She winked at him. "I sure hope so." Bowing once to him and then to Regulus, she left.

"There's mother and father," Regulus said, pointing across the crowd. "Come on."

"Just one second," Draco mumbled, moving away from him and walking right up to where Lucius and Narcissa were standing. Both of them looked at him instantly.

"You're leaving then?" said Narcissa.

"Afraid so," Draco said. "I just wanted to say congratulations again and...and thank you for inviting me."

"Our pleasure," said Lucius. "We shall be meeting again soon, I hope?"

"We shall," Draco said.

He turned to leave, then stopped on his heel and turned back. His father was now caressing his mother's cheek and she was touching her forehead to his. They really were in love. It wasn't just about the war, like he'd been led to believe all these years. Sure, people would be getting married left and right now, for fear of dying the next day. But that wasn't the case here.

Feeling suddenly warm, Draco smiled to himself and turned back away from them, the little black notebook clutched safely on the inside of his dinner jacket.

* * *

 **Thank you all for your continued support and don't forget to comment below! We read and appreciate each and every one of your reviews.**

 **Also, even though she is a canon character, think of Andromeda as an OC, if you will. She is our interpretation completely. She has not married a muggle, which means she hasn't been banned by the Blacks as of yet. She is the age that we chose for her. Deal with it.**

 **Thanks again!**

 **See you on July 12. . .**


	32. The Deed

**Hplover4ever3: Hello all! We're so happy to be back and we're gonna start off with one hell of a chapter. So much drama ahead and some serious revelations. As for the chapter title, ignore it. It holds no meaning. Just a private joke between my partner and I. And speaking of, happy anniversary, dear one. Really glad I got bored one day and started writing a random story for you to criticize. This year was one of the most complicated of my life but you were a huge and wonderful reason why. No regrets. And here is to many more years :)**

 **#32. Finally made it!**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 32: THE DEED

"How are you not as affected by this, Lucius?" said Narcissa once he came back into the sitting room, having escorted the last of the guests out.

He sighed, loosened his tie and took a seat on the arm of one of the couches.

"I'm affected," he said, looking tired. "But I'm a little more distracted by other things tonight, to care about much else."

His eyes lingered over her dress, waving down gracefully to the marble floors. Narcissa blushed slightly and looked down at her dress too before looking back up at him.

"It really was everything I'd ever imagined it to be," she said quietly.

Lucius cocked an eyebrow at her, and upon her silence, rose from the couch and slowly began to approach her.

"Is that so?"

"It is," she said, her smile wider now.

Lucius reached her finally and placed a warm hand on her cheek. She closed her eyes, loving the feel of his soft touch.

"Well then I consider myself a victorious man," he whispered.

"Do you now?" she said.

"Very much so," he replied. "I've won a fortune, and tonight, everyone got to see just how big."

Narcissa blushed again, looking away from him, her face growing suddenly serious again. Lucius tilted his head at her.

"What is it?"

She bit her lip and shook her head. He tilted her chin so that she looked up at him, and raised his eyebrows, waiting.

"There was just...something about him...that made me feel secure," she began. "You know? At home, even. I can't quite explain it."

Lucius thought for a minute. "I suppose I see your point."

"You do?"

"Sure. He just seemed to understand it all. Like he's been there. Like he knows all of us and what we like...what we don't like..."

"Exactly," said Narcissa. "I just found it so very odd."

"He _is_ your blood," Lucius offered. "You shouldn't find it that surprising. It could simply be that he's a long lost brother..."

"My mother never had more children," Narcissa said, shaking her head now. "It was just Bella and Andy and me."

"Then she had a secret sister somewhere who had a child along the way, I don't know," said Lucius. "The point is, we needn't worry about that now. Today, you and I did something incredible, and I just want to focus on that and worry about all of this tomorrow."

"No, you're right," Narcissa said, nodding her head. "You're absolutely right."

"Always am," said Lucius, tilting his head again to examine her. "And might I add, that you look absolutely beautiful tonight...?"

Narcissa smiled. That was the second time she'd heard those exact words tonight.

"So beautiful, in fact..." Lucius added momentarily, placing his arms around her waist and moving her closer to him, "...that I might have to kidnap you for a while and hold you hostage here..." He put his lips to her ear and smiled, "...Mrs. Malfoy."

"Say that again," she breathed, her eyes closing now.

Lucius leaned in to her neck and brushed his lips against it ever so lightly before he whispered in her ear, "Mrs. Malfoy."

At this, Narcissa wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Lucius smirked against her lips and lifted her into his arms, eliciting an ecstatic laugh from her as he apparated them quickly into the master suite of Malfoy Manor, where he would spend the night with his new wife, and wonder about this Draco person tomorrow.

* * *

 _One Week Later. . ._

* * *

"It's hard to tell, but I truly believe that there's more to it than first meets the eye," Remus concluded, rotating Dumbledore's deluminator device in his hand one last time before sighing deeply and passing it back to Draco.

Draco nodded at him and pocketed the deluminator again. He'd hoped Remus would have the answer. Now, he would just have to resort to the embarrassing task of asking Dumbledore to explain his Christmas gift.

"But I mean it's _Dumbledore,_ " Remus continued now. "So whatever that object is, you'd best keep it safe. I have a feeling it's something really unique."

Draco nodded again.

Though he had been aching to ask Remus what his thoughts were on the deluminator, and even more anxious to hear his answer, the first thing that he'd asked upon seeing him on the station platform that morning was how he was feeling after his moon. Remus had assured him, as well as the rest of the group, that it hadn't been too bad. Though the few red scars burning into the sides of his neck would determine otherwise.

The second the boys had boarded the Hogwarts Express, they delved right into tales of their holiday break and detailed descriptions of their Christmas gifts. And just as soon as the gentleman with the food trolley began to make his rounds, the boys bought all the snacks they would need to last them the rest of the trip.

Draco felt relieved to be with his friends again, especially since his only company the last two weeks had been Regulus. And although he liked Regulus and enjoyed spending time with him, he felt somehow disconnected from all the relationships he'd developed since the start of the school year, and he realized this more now, as he sat with his friends in their compartment and listened to their stories.

Sirius looked to be doing much better, which was quite a relief. There was not a scratch on him, suggesting that he'd taken to magically healing his injuries at some point over the break. The boys avoided the subject of his running away altogether, though they did take a moment to comment on his hair, for apparently he had taken it upon himself to cut a huge chunk of it off. Where before it was to the length of his shoulders, hanging in loose black curls, now it was significantly short and revealing his face a lot more. Draco doubted he had ever seen a single Black with such short hair, and it was everything he could do not to ask Sirius why the sudden impulse.

Beside him, James was flipping through a collection of chocolate frog cards and listening to Peter's tale of how he hooked up with some muggle girl on Christmas Eve. He too, looked to be doing much better—far better than the last time they all rode the train together. For one, he was not sitting with his head out the window, ignoring all the boys and making snide remarks and storming out of compartments. He even laughed with them as they shared stories and shared some of his own, detailing the many gifts that he received. But even so, Draco could feel a slight edge to the way James talked to (or even looked at) him now. He couldn't quite pinpoint it just yet, but something had definitely changed in James.

"There's no need to lie about it, Wormy, we'll find you a girlfriend this year," Sirius said once Peter was finished, and the boys laughed in unison. Peter folded his arms determinedly in front of him and looked away from Sirius.

Normally, Draco would have told Sirius to knock it off. He felt bad for Peter most days and wished the boys could just see that if they didn't treat him better now, he would only get worse with time. But at that moment, Draco was enjoying seeing Sirius smile far too much, that he couldn't bring himself to ruin it. He'd honestly believed that he would never see him smile ever again, and it was quite a relief to be proven wrong.

"A trust fund though," Remus said to Draco once the subject was back on the holiday gifts. "That's really great, Draco."

Sirius instantly got busy with his shoelace and Draco nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, growing up in an orphanage and having Dumbledore to take care of me and all...well, he hasn't exactly spoiled me over the years, but it'll be nice to have some pocket money from now on."

"You deserve it," said Peter.

Draco smiled at him, then his eyes fell on Sirius.

"Regulus gave me the Thunderbolt VI."

"I know," Sirius said, looking down at his lap.

"But I'm not playing," Draco continued, still watching him. "It's yours if you want it."

At this, Sirius brought his eyes up to Draco. The boys all looked from one to the other, and Draco swore it had to be the longest silence he could remember.

"Why would you do that?" Sirius finally said.

"Because he's your brother," Draco admitted. "He should've given it to you, not me."

"You're our cousin though..."

"True, but I'm not in Quidditch."

"W-well maybe that's Regulus's way of saying that he thinks you should be," said Peter.

James looked up at Draco instantly, though he didn't say a word. Instead, he gave him the strangest look...like he was trying to tell Draco, 'don't even think about it'. Or perhaps Draco was reading too much into it. Whatever it was that had happened between them, Draco was smart enough to realize that it had changed everything forever. But _what_ had changed everything was really tearing at him, and he had to exercise some serious control in order not to blurt out the question then and there. The way James and Sirius were acting with each other now though gave Draco the impression that whatever it was that was bothering James, Sirius knew about it. He made a mental note of it, wondering if Sirius was his best shot at finding out what the bloody hell he'd done this time.

About an hour before the train arrived at Hogwarts, the boys started up a muggle card game called poker. Apparently, James and Sirius had taken a one-day course over the holidays and learned the basics of it. They also took it upon themselves to purchase some instruction books on tricks and techniques, and now they sat in that compartment, trying to explain it to Remus, Peter and Draco. But after a little while, Sirius clapped his hands, laughing, and then excused himself from the compartment. Thirty seconds later, Draco got up and went after him.

Sirius noticed Draco following him down the corridor straightaway and smiled as they reached the same spot where they'd spoken last time they did this. Just like then, Sirius slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall, letting his eyes close and feeling the train's rattling vibration against his back.

"I can't wait to be back," he said to Draco.

"How are you?" Draco said. "Really."

"Really?" said Sirius, eyes still closed. "I'm fine."

"Are you _sure?"_

"Yes."

There was a pause, during which Sirius opened one eye to look at Draco.

"I'm not some broken child you need to keep checking up on."

"I never said you were."

More silence.

"Listen, Sirius, I feel like...I need to explain myself."

"Hmm?"

"Back at Grimmauld Place...what you heard..."

Sirius pulled away from the wall. "Yeah, can we um, not rehash that please?"

"No, I need to get this out," Draco said urgently. Sirius sighed, waiting. Draco hesitated. "Listen, all that...all that Slytherin stuff... and you know, everything I said...and the pureblood things...you know I didn't mean it, Sirius. You _know_ that."

"Do I?"

Draco hesitated again. "Y-yes! I mean, come _on,_ you know me better than that by now!"

Draco sighed in frustration. Even he wouldn't have believed him.

"Well you did seem pretty convincing back there, so you can't really blame a bloke for wondering otherwise," Sirius muttered.

He turned to leave but Draco grabbed his arm and Sirius stopped.

"I need you to believe me," he declared. "And listen, whatever James might've said to you, I—"

"What's James got to do with this?"

"I...he's upset with me, I can tell, but I honestly don't have the faintest idea what I might've done, a-and—"

"Draco," said Sirius, stopping him at once. "Listen, with James...look, it has nothing to do with _this,_ okay?" Draco nodded slowly, confirming his suspicions that Sirius in fact knew it, whatever it was. "But listen, a lot happened over the holidays and...honestly, I reckon it'd be best if we just put it all behind us, what do you say?"

Draco sighed of relief. "I think that's the most reassuring thing I've heard in a long while."

Sirius smiled. They stood in silence for a few more seconds, before Draco's eyes fell on his hair again.

"I did it the night of the wedding," Sirius answered his unasked question. Draco met his eyes again. "Andy came to see us, still wearing her dress robes. She was sort of drunk but she sobered up quickly and the three of us went out."

"I didn't know she went to see you..."

Sirius smiled. "She had us doing all kinds of things."

"Where did you go?"

"To some muggle town," said Sirius, shrugging. "We went to this pub and did these things called shots. They're _really_ disgusting but they sure have an effect on you." He paused to smile at Draco. "I'll be sure to get you to try one sometime."

"And then you got the haircut?"

Sirius's smile faded slightly and he looked away from Draco.

"I did it as an impulse, okay?" He looked back at him. "And I would do it again."

"Okay," Draco said instantly. "I'm not saying anything."

"Good," said Sirius. "Because getting this haircut was the best thing I'd done since getting sorted into Gryffindor. And a tattoo is gonna be next."

Draco let out a soft laugh.

"She liked you, you know," Sirius said, bringing his attention back to him, "Andy."

"S-she did?"

"Yeah, she told us all about how you shared shrimp at the wedding," said Sirius. Draco smiled at the memory. "She also said you looked to be a nervous wreck."

Draco thought for a minute. "It was an overwhelming night." He then looked at his friend again. "Well um, I guess now you and Reg won't look that much alike anymore."

Sirius scoffed. "Yeah, he can wear his long hair in a braid like the rest of them precious Blacks do, for all I care."

There was a moment of silence again. Draco looked on ahead at the corridor where some students were moving in between compartments and laughing about some things.

"He was really worried about you, you know," he said quietly, his eyes still on those students.

"I doubt that."

"No, he really was." Sirius looked at him. "The first few hours, he spent reassuring me that everything was gonna be okay. And then after that, we switched roles and it was _me_ reassuring _him_."

"You _are_ older so it'd make sense," Sirius muttered. "I mean he's just a kid."

"Yeah, but...wait...older?"

Sirius looked at Draco. "Yeah, you know, older than Regulus?"

"Right," said Draco, sighing deeply. "Yeah, I am."

He watched his friend carefully now. Sirius looked away from him. Any idiot would be able to tell that there was more to that age comment than Sirius had claimed. What if James _had_ in fact found out Draco's secret and had told Sirius and now they both knew exactly who he was?

 _Don't go there, Draco, it's highly unlikely,_ said the voice inside his head.

 _Unlikely, but not impossible,_ Draco silently argued.

"So there you go," said Sirius, grabbing his attention again. "That's that."

"Here," Draco said suddenly, pulling Sirius's wand out of his pocket and handing it to him. Sirius hesitated before taking it in his hand.

"Thanks," he mumbled, frowning down at it.

"And I brought all your stuff too," Draco added. "In your trunk, it's all on the train."

Sirius looked up at him. "Why...?"

"I didn't let anybody go into your room after you left," Draco said quickly. "I repaired the window myself and I continued staying there for the rest of the break. No one entered without my permission. I kept guard all your things."

"I..." said Sirius, looking stunned. "Well, thanks for getting this back to me." He rotated the wand in his hands again and then pocketed it.

"Yeah man," said Draco. "A-and the mirror too, it's in your stuff."

"Okay," said Sirius. "Um, thanks." Draco nodded. "You really didn't have to do this, you know."

"No, I did," Draco argued. "You left so quickly. You didn't take any of your stuff with you."

"That's kind of the whole point though," said Sirius quietly.

Draco waited a moment. Then...

"Are...are we okay?"

Sirius looked at him.

"Are we _really_ okay? You and me?" Draco repeated.

Sirius thought for a minute, and then gave him a soft, reassuring smile. "Yeah, mate. We're okay."

They got back to Hogwarts in the evening, just in time for a nice welcome-back feast, during which Dumbledore gave a short speech about how he sincerely hoped that everyone had had a good holiday break. He also caught Draco's eye at some point and gave him a prominent look, which Draco knew meant that they needed to talk just as soon as they got the chance. He groaned silently and threw that thought to the back of his mind. He really didn't want to have that conversation with Dumbledore, not now.

About ten minutes into the feast, Draco chanced a glance over at the Slytherin table where he saw Wilkes's little posse gathered together at the corner. Severus looked deep in conversation with Regulus over something and didn't even look at Draco. He looked well though, which was the most Draco could have hoped for.

Everyone everywhere seemed to be in pretty good spirits. The holidays had certainly come at the right time, presenting everyone with the exact sort of distraction that they needed...parties, presents, great food. The Gryffindors certainly looked very pleased as they shared stories of their holiday adventures and marvelled over Sirius's new look. He smiled and nodded at each comment he got about his haircut. Frank seemed to be the most approving out of everyone. He also gave Draco a nod when he spotted him, and so did Alice. Draco nodded back at them, thinking of the nice gifts that they'd sent him and hoping they'd enjoyed his as well.

After dinner, everyone headed back to their dormitories to unpack and get settled into life at Hogwarts once again. The marauders and Draco spread out in the common room and spent some time with their classmates. James was chatting with Frank and a couple of his buddies. Remus was catching up with Lily in the corner of the room. Peter was talking to some other boys Draco didn't know, and Sirius was sitting on the couch and looking into the fireplace, a book sitting upside-down in his lap.

Draco sat with Sirius for a while, then moved to where Remus was in the other end of the room. Upon seeing him, Lily lost all the seriousness in her face from moments before and gave him a small smile.

"Hi there," she said. "How was your holiday?"

"Fine," Draco said, sitting down. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Just stuff," said Remus.

"Like what?"

"War-related stuff," Lily corrected.

"Right," Draco said, already bored with this. He turned to Lily. "I got your gift." She smiled again. "You didn't have to do that." Her smile faded.

"I knew I didn't _have_ to," she began, looking a little hurt.

"Draco," said Remus, but Draco didn't hear him, his eyes still on Lily.

"I just...didn't know we were doing the gift thing, that's all," Draco mumbled. "I mean I didn't get you anything."

"I got something for Remus and Peter as well, it's not just you," Lily said quickly. "Don't go assuming things now."

Draco raised his hands in surrender. Then, seeing the look Remus was giving him now, he excused himself and went to sit with Sirius again.

It was a while before people started heading up to their dormitories. There was far too much excitement for anyone to be sleeping. But at about half past midnight, the last of the Gryffindors had gone to bed, and so the marauders too, headed up the stairs.

"It's gonna be a great second half of the season, though," Sirius was saying as they all dressed.

"When are we due to play next anyway?" asked Remus.

"January thirty," James answered without looking at him.

"So still some time," said Remus. "And who are we playing then?"

"Slytherin," said Sirius, hopping into his bed. "Night guys."

"Goodnight!" said Peter.

"Night," Draco muttered, his eyes on James who turned his back on him in the bed without a word.

Draco was surprised that he'd managed to fall asleep so quickly, but nevertheless he was woken at around two in the morning by Peter's snores. He turned in his bed and groaned quietly into his pillow. After a little while, he gave up on trying to get more sleep and rose from his bed. Outside, snow was falling heavily to the ground and he could hear wind howling. He put on a sweater, grabbed the book from under his pillow and crept silently out of the dormitory and down the spiral staircase to the common room, thinking this would be a perfect time. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting there.

"What are you doing up?" Sirius asked, looking up from the couch near the fireplace, startled.

"I couldn't sleep," Draco said, hurrying across the common room to join him. "You?"

"Yeah, same I guess," said Sirius.

Draco sat down.

"I'm not down to doing schoolwork again tomorrow," Sirius said after a short silence, his eyes moving back to the fireplace. "I need another break, I think."

"It'll be okay," said Draco. "Think of it this way—we're already halfway through the school year."

"Yeah but this half will be more brutal," said Sirius. "Exams, you know..."

"Don't worry about it so much," Draco shrugged. Sirius gave him a look. "What?"

"Since when do you not care about schoolwork? You got a fever or something?"

He reached to touch Draco's forehead but Draco shrugged him away, laughing.

"I'm just saying, there's far more important things in life than bloody school, that's all," he said.

"Okay James," said Sirius, rolling his eyes at him.

Draco laughed again.

"So," said Sirius after several minutes. Draco turned to look at him. "What did _you_ think of Andy?"

"I really liked her," said Draco. "She was a laugh, you know."

"Yeah, she tends to be," said Sirius.

"I can see why she's your favourite cousin."

"You can?"

"Yeah, you guys are very much alike."

"Huh, no one's ever said that...even James, and he knows her well too."

"Well I'm _not_ James," said Draco, prompting Sirius to give him a curious look.

There was silence.

"Have you spoken to him yet?" Sirius asked.

"No," said Draco, turning back to the fireplace. "To be honest, I'm afraid to even look at him."

"Don't be," said Sirius. "He's your friend. He's not gonna be unfair."

"Sirius, he already _is_ being unfair."

"Just...talk to him. Tomorrow."

Draco sighed.

"Yeah... tomorrow..."

His eyes fell on one of the windows at the back where he could see the snow falling mercilessly to the ground and could hear wind pounding hard against the windows.

"Everything's gonna change now, isn't it?" Sirius said softly after a moment.

Draco turned to look at him.

"Tomorrow's gonna be different," he continued. "You know...not like before..."

"I suppose," said Draco. "But sometimes, change is good. Sometimes, it's exactly the thing you need."

Sirius gave him a smile. "You're talking about my haircut, aren't you?"

"It's just too bloody difficult to get used to," Draco laughed.

Sirius also laughed.

There was more silence.

"You...you _do_ believe me...don't you?" Draco finally asked, having been aching to do so all night.

Sirius turned his head in his friend's direction, though his eyes remained on the carpet.

"I didn't mean any of it," Draco tried again. "It was all just an act. Please, you gotta—"

"I believe you," said Sirius. "Alright? You can calm down now. I believe you."

Draco sighed.

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Okay." Sirius smiled. "Come on, let's go to bed."

He stood up.

"I think I'll stay a little longer," Draco said. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, Peter's snoring. I'm not gonna be able to fall asleep right away anyhow."

"Suit yourself," Sirius shrugged. He patted him once on the shoulder and descended up the spiral staircase, disappearing at the top of it.

Alone in the common room, Draco sat back on the couch and stared into the fireplace, remembering the night he'd talked with Dumbledore in it, back at Grimmauld Place. Even that seemed like forever ago now, for so much had happened since. He didn't even feel like the same person as that panicked boy back there.

Outside, the wind continued to howl with the snow flying everywhere. Draco moved closer to the fireplace so he could feel its warmth on his skin. Then, looking around the common room again, he pulled out the book with Tom Riddle's name on the back cover and opened it. He picked up a quill and ink bottle from the coffee table nearby, and thought for a minute before writing,

 _I'm back at Hogwarts now._

The next morning marked the first day of classes. Draco felt odd now, grabbing his books and heading to breakfast, because he himself felt like he had changed so much since last time he'd done this. Sirius was right. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

The boys ate breakfast together and then journeyed over to the dungeons for their first lesson of the day. They seated themselves at their usual table and Slughorn was sure to give Draco a secret smile, trying desperately to remind him of the important wedding and how the two of them had been there. Typical.

But Draco disregarded this. He disregarded the strange looks that Peter gave him as he examined his new and revised copy of _Advanced Potion Making,_ courtesy to Severus. He disregarded the nervous look that Lily gave him when they bumped into each other at the storage cupboard whilst getting ingredients for that day's brew session. The only thing that Draco was focused on...the only thing that had his full attention...was the way James was purposely avoiding— _ignoring—_ him. He was sitting across from him for once, instead of next to him. And he didn't say a word to him the entire lesson. And then, after Potions, he ran out of the dungeons and by the time Draco and the others were out too, he was gone.

 _He's got a free period now,_ Draco thought. _There is nowhere he needs to be in a rush for._

But he understood perfectly well why James had run out...

Draco sat with Sirius in History of Magic but soon grew bored with the lesson and began doodling absentmindedly in his notebook. Somehow, Professor Binns had gotten even more boring over the holidays, if such a thing were at all possible. And soon enough, Draco started resenting the fact that it was Monday and that they wouldn't have Defense Against the Dark Arts until tomorrow.

But at least he was sitting with Sirius now and Sirius was acting a little more like himself. People were still commenting on his new look and he was nodding and smiling at them and quietly saying thank you when they complimented him. But other than that, he didn't look too fractured, emotionally at least.

After History of Magic, during which Professor Binns assigned an extensive research essay, Draco followed Sirius and Remus to the Great Hall for lunch, figuring it'd be his best chance to get James to go for a walk with him so they could talk. But unfortunately when they arrived, Peter informed them that James had taken an early lunch because of his double free periods and was now asleep up in the dormitory. Draco tried to hide his frustration as he ate his soup, but he could still feel Sirius's eyes on him.

After lunch, Sirius went off to the common room for his free period while the others went to the Astronomy Tower. That lesson too, seemed to annoy Draco greatly. He didn't even have Transfiguration or Charms today, and the more the day progressed, the more bitter Draco got. It was finally at the bell that Draco's spirits lifted. A free period, at long last.

"We'll see you for dinner, okay?" Remus called after him as he and Peter hurried away to their next classes.

"See you," Draco said, though they didn't hear him against the crowd of students rushing to get to class.

On instinct, Draco began walking to the abandoned seventh floor corridor, his thoughts on Regulus and what class he must be in right now. He hadn't had a chance to really thank him yet for lending him _Magick Moste Evile_ , even though he'd had even less of a chance to actually read it since he got back. But he figured Severus wouldn't show up in their spot today so maybe he'd get some reading done then.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Severus was sitting cross-legged with his head bent over a book, and he lifted it at the sound of Draco walking up to him.

"Hello," he said, shutting the book in his lap.

"Hey," said Draco. He dropped his book bag to the floor and took a seat next to Severus. "How've you been?"

"Okay," said Severus. "How were the Blacks?"

"Okay," said Draco, shrugging. "It was mostly just...family gatherings and stuff..."

"I heard you met Lucius Malfoy."

Draco's eyes went round.

"Regulus told me about the wedding," Severus explained.

"You know Lucius Malfoy?" said Draco instead. He'd always figured his father and Snape had gotten acquainted after Hogwarts.

"Yeah," Severus said, offering a very small smile. "I mean, not well, obviously. He graduated not long after we started. But yeah. He was one of my favourites at the time."

"I didn't know that," Draco mumbled. "Um yeah, I met him."

"So you saw how much you guys look alike then," said Severus, smiling again.

Draco frowned at him. "How...why have you never said anything before now?"

Severus shrugged. "I didn't think you'd believe me. Wanted you to see it for yourself. You look so like him, it's scary."

"We're all interrelated," Draco began. "It's not _that_ scary."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you guys are brothers," said Severus.

Draco laughed.

"So um, what else did Regulus tell you?"

Severus grew serious suddenly, which answered Draco's next question.

"He told you about that then, huh?"

"Yeah," Severus said quietly. "Quite the scandal."

"What else is new," laughed Draco. "Well at least it didn't make the papers this morning."

"Oh just wait until tomorrow morning," said Severus. "Those papers are always delayed. You and that family will be on the front page, mark my words."

"We'll see," said Draco, highly doubting that. Orion had looked pretty serious about not wanting to get this scandal out, and so far, the only people that knew were immediate family and friends.

"So how is _your_ family doing then?" Draco said.

"I wouldn't know," said Severus without looking at him. "I stayed at Hogwarts."

 _"You did?!"_

"Yeah it was just me and Theo in Slytherin."

"Who?"

"Theodore Nott, Draco," said Severus, looking exhausted.

"Wait but..."

"He left for the night of the wedding and then he came back. Said he'd much rather spend the holidays at Hogwarts and not have to do any wedding stuff. Just attend the actual party and then come back."

"But how..."

"He's of age so he was granted permission to use flu powder so he could attend the wedding. I would've gone too but I'm not of age yet."

"You were invited?"

Severus paused to give Draco a look. "No. I told you, I haven't spoken to Lucius Malfoy in years."

"But then how...?"

"I haven't even met his wife. All I know is that she's a Black. Well, a former one now anyway. Regulus speaks highly of her."

"She's brilliant," said Draco instantly.

"Yeah," said Severus. "So...a Thunderbolt IV, huh?"

"Yeah," Draco smiled. "It was a great gift, but I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do with it."

"You should play." Draco looked up at Severus. "Seriously, you taught me a lot of great stuff. You're a really good player, Draco. You should play."

"Yeah, because that's just what I need, another reason for James Potter to hate me," Draco said bitterly.

"Why does Potter hate you?" said Severus.

Draco sighed. "It's...never mind..."

There was silence.

"Well..." said Severus slowly, "How are you liking _Magick Moste Evile_?"

Draco looked up at him and Severus smiled.

"What _didn't_ Regulus tell you?"

"Get used to it, the kid has always told me everything, always," said Severus dismissively.

"Noted," said Draco, a little annoyed. He wondered now whether Severus knew about Regulus's little meetings with the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. But then a bigger thought struck his mind and he sat up suddenly. "Listen, I only borrowed the book because I'm doing research on...something..."

"Hey, I'm not judgin'," said Severus, raising both hands in surrender. "If anything, I'm kinda happy."

"You are?"

"Yeah, because my suspicions were correct after all."

"What suspicions?"

Severus smiled again. "That you're just like the rest of us, despite what colours are on your Hogwarts robes..."

Draco didn't get a chance to see James until later that night, at which point the common room was far too crowded for him to be able to confront his friend. So instead, he resorted to playing Wizard's Chess with Peter while Remus went over all his notes from that day's lessons.

"I don't think we've ever gotten this much homework in one day," he kept repeating as he got through one pile and moved on to the next.

"Yeah, the teachers are really startin' to lose it, aren't they?" said Sirius, who was throwing a small ball up and down while he lay sprawled on the couch.

James had already excused himself to bed and when Draco had crept up there to see if they could talk, he found him sound asleep.

Once again, the marauders were the last to leave the common room that night, and once again, Peter's snores kept Draco awake, though this time he couldn't even get to sleep. He'd grown so used to the quiet and comfort of sleeping at Grimmauld Place that he was finding it rather hard to adjust to being back at Hogwarts.

Just after one in the morning, he gave up on trying to sleep and retreated downstairs instead. Sirius wasn't there this time, in fact no one was. Relieved with this knowledge, Draco shifted to one of the armchairs near a window and settled himself into it with an ink bottle and quill. Then, looking around one last time, he pulled out the little black notebook and opened it to a random page.

 _I haven't gotten a chance to look through the book Regulus gave me yet._

He waited, hoping he wouldn't have to wait as long as last time. Then, the little slanted handwriting formed on the page.

 _What is stopping you?_

Draco thought for a minute. He knew well that he had to be very careful with his answers because this was the very book that had trained Voldemort himself when he was in school. That's what it told him anyway, that first night that he wrote in it, just after his parents' wedding. If Draco wasn't careful now though, he could end up just like Tom Riddle. But if he _was_ careful, if he was _really_ careful, he could gain almost all of the knowledge that Tom gained from the book, which would eventually be very useful to him. He was sure of it.

 _Classes are busy._

Yes, that was a sufficient enough answer, and definitely part of the truth. He honestly hadn't been able to find time on his own to look through the book with a proper mindset. Regulus had originally thought it was a good idea—something that would help Draco figure out what kind of magic this little notebook was, since they'd both come to the conclusion that it was definitely dark. But even now, sitting alone in the common room, Draco doubted he'd be up for it. His mind was too crowded with all the information from that day alone.

 _Is this Draco?_

Draco frowned before replying, _Who else would it be?_

 _You'd be surprised how quickly this book could fall into the wrong hands._

Draco thought about that for a minute. Then, he shook his head frantically and wrote,

 _I've been very careful about where I keep you. And I haven't told anyone._

The book took its precious time in replying to this next bit, so Draco looked out the window at the snow gently falling to the ground. It'd been snowing for days now and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon. His eye then caught the black ink forming on the page again and he squinted down at it under the candlelight beside him.

 _Regulus knows._

That was true. But Draco wasn't worried about it one bit. He dipped the quill in ink again and wrote, very quickly,

 _I trust him._

The next morning, Draco watched with pain in his eyes as students everywhere passed the Morning Prophet around the Great Hall, each taking turns gasping and marvelling over the photo of Draco and Lucius, which was on the bottom left corner of the front page. The main photo on the page was one of a group of guests, with Lucius and Narcissa right in the middle. Slughorn was also on the side of it, holding up a champagne glass and beaming at the cameraman. Many of the younger students were huddled around the professor now and begging for tales of the magnificent wedding, like he was some sort of celebrity.

But none of this fazed Draco whatsoever. He didn't care about the whispers and the finger-pointing. All that he cared about was that James was ignoring all of it completely, and seemed far too occupied with the book in front of him as he ate his breakfast. In all the time that Draco had known him, he'd never seen James look so interested with a _book_ at breakfast time.

Draco was relieved to start the day off with Transfiguration. He never thought he'd actually miss hearing Professor McGonagall go on about some concept at the front of the class while everyone took notes. He didn't mind the huge essay that Professor Claybrook assigned the sixth years that morning, or the enormous chunk of reading that Professor Flitwick gave them in Charms. Even History of Magic didn't bother him that much that day. He was just happy to be back at Hogwarts—happy to have school as a distraction again and happy to be around the marauders.

But still, James wouldn't talk to him. He sat with the boys at lunch, but he might as well have eaten himself, because it was as though he wasn't there with them at all. He remained completely immune to their conversations and drowned out everything they said to either him or each other. His book on muggle poker was all he seemed to care about.

After the last lesson of the day, Draco, Sirius and Remus gathered in the Great Hall to get some work done so they wouldn't have much to do later. They spread their books out in front of them and began scribbling instantly, though Sirius looked to be extremely distracted with the bowl of fruit in front of him, and soon enough he stopped making notes on the Confederation of Wizards and began drawing the fruit instead. His sketch was halfway done when Peter showed up, looking breathless.

"I found it," he gasped, placing a piece of parchment in front of Sirius.

"Wormy, not here!" Remus hissed. "Sirius, put that away. Quickly!"

"Hush Moony, it's all good," said Sirius, who lazily picked up the marauder's map and slipped it inside one of his books. "No one knows how to work it, that's kind of the beauty of it." He looked up at Peter. "Don't ever lose it again, you hear?"

"James would _kill_ you if you did," Remus added as Peter sat down, still gasping for air.

"I doubt James would care much right now," Draco muttered, but only Sirius heard him.

"Where is he anyway?" Remus asked Peter. "If he doesn't show up soon, he's gonna be late for Hagrid."

"I don't know," Peter breathed. "I didn't check it, I just brought it as soon as I found it."

"I'll check," Sirius offered.

"Not here!" Remus hissed. Sirius rolled his eyes at him and pulled the map out anyway. He looked over his shoulder quickly, then tapped it once with his wand and spread it out over the table, making sure to cover parts of it with Draco's notes.

"You guys are going to Hagrid's?" Draco wondered out loud.

"You're not?" Remus said.

Draco fell silent at once.

For the next ten minutes, the boys looked around and pretended to carry on an unimportant conversation while Sirius scanned the entire map until his finger finally landed on some corridor on the fifth floor and he cried, "Jackpot!"

"Hush, Sirius!" Remus cried.

Peter looked relieved.

"What's he doing there?" Draco wondered, squinting down at the spot where Sirius was pointing.

"Dunno, he's just standing in one place," said Sirius, also frowning down at it. "Or maybe he's sitting...do you know what, that's what this map seems to be missing. We need to figure out a way to make it possible to see if a person is standing or sitting."

"Right," said Remus, "So while you go and try to figure that out, _we'll_ go and fetch James."

"Don't," said Draco, stopping him before he could get up. "He wants to be alone—let him."

Remus frowned at Draco. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

Draco paused. "Just let him be."

But that answer didn't seem good enough for Remus. He turned to Sirius, who pretended not to notice and continued scanning the map.

"Sirius?" he said, waiting.

Sirius shrugged. "Dunno what you're talkin' about, Moony."

Remus looked back at Draco, who also avoided his eyes and resumed writing in his notebook.

"Come on, guys, we're gonna be late!" Peter said, breaking the silence suddenly.

"Oh is it that time already?" Sirius said, tapping the map and shutting it again.

The boys now began packing up their things hurriedly and piling them all on top of each other. They were already in the Entrance Hall and ready to leave through the front doors when Draco stopped and said he wasn't coming.

"But why not?" said Peter.

"I wouldn't feel right being there," Draco mumbled.

"Nonsense," said Remus at once. "Hagrid's invited _all_ of us for tea before dinner, and that includes you, Draco." Draco looked at him. "It's already gonna be odd if James is not there but if you don't show up too..."

"Guys, it's not that big of a deal," Draco started again. Only Sirius seemed to be unaffected by his little announcement. He was too busy perfecting his fruit sketch as he stood in the Entrance Hall, waiting for the boys to decide on something already.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Remus repeated, snapping Draco's attention back to him. He had his eyebrows raised as he waited for an answer.

"Um yeah," Draco said. "Yeah, next time, guys."

"But that's what you said last time!" Peter pointed out.

"Yeah it's just...I have all this stuff I gotta go over for that transfiguration quiz," Draco mumbled, collecting the falling books in his hands and gesturing at them. "I'll probably just see you guys after dinner, okay?"

"You're not even coming to dinner?" said Peter, looking exasperated at this point.

"I'm just...not really that hungry, Pete," Draco said, weakly.

Sirius let out a chuckle and Remus rolled his eyes at him.

"Fine then," he said to Draco. "See you after dinner." He turned to leave, then paused and turned back to him. "If you see James at the library, tell him we missed him at Hagrid's. That ought to get him feeling guilty for forgetting."

"Will do," Draco promised, highly doubting that James would turn up anytime soon.

Remus shook his head at him again and then proceeded to lead the way out of the Entrance Hall to Hagrid's Hut. Draco remained rooted to the spot, watching the boys leave. Sirius waved at him over his shoulder once. Draco looked down at one of the books in his hand before suddenly hurrying up the stone steps. It was a rarity that he ever had any time away from anyone to just be alone with his thoughts, and he certainly wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste now. With _Magick Moste Evile_ tucked safely under his arm, he ran.

* * *

"Why can't you just tell me?" he prodded, wanting to shake James at this point.

For some reason, James wanted to tell him something so bad but he still couldn't come right out and say it. The secret, whatever it was, was now starting to eat away at Draco as he sat there, waiting for his friend to say something— _anything!_

"What?" Draco said, folding his arms in front of him now and tilting his head slightly. James only watched him. "What on earth could I have possibly done that night that's got you all weirded out now?"

Finally, James showed a sign of still being alive—his facial expression twisted ever so slightly into that of a frown, and Draco froze.

"What did I say now?" he said, unfolding his arms and leaning forward. It was like he didn't know James _at all!_

"Look," James suddenly said, "I didn't mean to...see what I saw...I just... I had went upstairs to get my cloak because we were gonna mess with people, you know? Everyone was drunk and...it was _your_ idea, by the way—"

"James, what are you talking about?"

James finally stopped to look at him. Draco looked as clueless as ever. He knew it. His friend frowned, finally comprehending.

"You really don't know?" he managed to say, his voice extremely quiet.

"NO!" Draco almost exploded, but instead he shook his head, feeling very much aware of how quiet it already was in the library.

James leaned forward now too.

"Draco," he began, his eyes on the table in front of them, "How much of that night do you remember?"

It was Draco's turn to frown now, especially because he didn't have any clue as to what this had to do with anything.

"Just answer the question," James said, sensing Draco's irritation with the subject.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "I dunno, I remember we were all pretty messed up...I remember Sirius snogging like a trillion girls that night and I remember drinking... _a lot."_ He let out a light laugh. "But I mean we all did, right?"

"Right," said James, quickly. "We were _all_ very drunk. _All of us._ "

"Right," Draco agreed, still not sure where this was headed. What could he have possibly done in his drunken stupor? Had he ranted about his original timeline to the wrong person? Had he revealed too much? Had he shared his true identity?

"I guess I believe you," James mumbled.

"About _what?"_

"About not remembering what happened that night..."

Draco stared at his friend. "And now you're here to tell me?"

There was a pause. Then, James nodded.

"Well, when did this...whatever it was...supposedly happen?"

"Right around the time Harrison Langley stripped naked and took flight in the common room," said James with a serious face.

Draco smiled slightly at the memory and then frowned again. "No, I remember that very well. I was sitting on the couch by the fireplace when his shoe flew past me and then I passed out."

But James was shaking his head now.

"But I did!" Draco cried.

"No," said James, looking up to finally meet his eyes, "You didn't."

* * *

 _The night before the holidays. . ._

* * *

Once the door shut behind him, he took one look at her in the darkness, kicking off her shoes. After his own were off, he slammed her against the nearest wall without warning and crashed his lips upon hers in a desperate pursuit, his hands clenching her waist. And she responded just as fiercely, her hands moving up from his arms to his face and then to his neck, wrapping around him. The kiss lasted a long time, leaving them both breathless but still willing to keep going.

Draco moved his lips away from hers and down her neck, attacking her with little mercy. But she seemed to be enjoying every second of it, gasping loudly into the silence of the dark room. Draco continued his thorough ministrations of her body, reaching her chest and moving her red hair away so he could taste her skin.

Caught up to breath once again, he attacked her lips and she brought her hands to his hair, grabbing and pulling as though fighting for life. And Draco, who didn't look to be as yet turned on as she, wasted no time in lifting her up and grinding against her once. She moaned into his mouth in response and wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer. Suddenly, he let out a growl and moved his mouth away, hissing from her bite.

"Sorry," she gasped, her arms loosening slightly around him.

"Yeah," he breathed, his head turned away from her. He shut his eyes tightly and then opened them again, as though trying to gather himself.

And Lily's fingers wrapped around his neck again and she forcefully turned his head to look at her.

"Hey come here," she said, in a very uncharacteristic, sultry voice that could drive any guy mad.

She kissed him fiercely again, pulling him close and doing pretty much all the work, while his hands started to slowly wander down to her shirt. Her hands were on his hair again and she pulled at the strands. Draco growled, but this time, he did not pull away. Instead, he brought his hands to her legs wrapped around him and pulled her away from the wall, forcing them both onto the nearest bed and crashing on it, their lips still connected.

The shoe lying on the window ledge fell to the floor with a light thud and Lily broke away from Draco to let out a laugh.

"Careful, we don't want to break your bed," she teased him, giggling as he nipped at her neck.

Draco pulled away to look down at her. "Who said anything about it being mine?"

Lily gasped and Draco grinned at her in the darkness, now starting to undo the three buttons at the top of her blouse as quickly as possible without tearing them.

"And besides," he added, finally managing all buttons and leaning down on her, "I'm just getting started."

"So am I," she said, laughing again and pulling his lips to hers. She kissed him harder than before until they were both caught breathless once again. Draco then paused to look in her eyes in the dark, and for the longest time, they just stared at each other.

"What?" she said, also having paused.

Draco's thumb circled her bottom lip and then, without warning, he leaned down and bit it. He sucked on it until she threw her head back, earning him a fiery moan. He growled in response, almost like an animal, and brought his forehead to hers, breathing almost as loudly as she was.

"You know," he gasped, "This is...by far...the best Christmas...I've _ever_ had."

Lily laughed out loud again, placing both hands on his back and turning him so that she could climb on top. In the process, his left arm flew onto the bedside table and knocked a lamp off. It crashed to the floor loudly and they both laughed again. Lily got comfortable on top as she looked down at him, one jean-covered leg on each side of him. His words seemed to have given her a whole 'nother power because she looked to be in control now.

At first, she did nothing, just teasing him by looking down at him. Then, when his hands started to wander from her waist to her hips, something seemed to trigger her inside for she became alive once again.

In one quick but damn sexy motion, she pulled her unbuttoned shirt over her head and tossed it to the side, revealing a lacy white bra which could be seen very clearly in the dark. She then kneeled down and they were kissing once again. And the way she moved on top of him now, so skillfully and expertly, was most definitely uncharacteristic. But she seemed to enjoy the shock plastered on Draco's face.

She moaned into his mouth again and he laid his head back on the pillow and breathed, letting her explore for her own amusement. He wasn't touching her anymore. He was just trying to keep his breathing steady. She was doing all the work, moving her lips from his own and down to his neck and then his bare arms. He instead kept his eyes on the ceiling, letting her do this for a while.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, something seemed to trigger him or give him some sort of strength because before Lily could stop him, he sat up and pulled her down on the bed so that _he_ was on top of _her_ once again and could take the control back. But Lily seemed to have no objections to this, wrapping her legs on either side of him and using them to pull him down. He grabbed her face again and kissed her harder than before. She was quick to respond, letting her hands slip under his shirt and clawing her fingers into his back.

Draco buried his face in her hair, his own fingers sliding down one of her straps while hers found his belt buckle. But just as he'd managed one strap and had moved on to the next, just as she'd managed the belt and had moved to the button of his jeans, everything came to a halt. Draco had collapsed his face right into the bed just on the left of Lily's head, and was no longer moving on top of her.

"Ow...Draco..." she muttered, her arms on his back as she tried to move him off of her. He was completely passed out, no longer aware of what was happening.

Once she'd finally managed to slide out from beneath him, she pulled her straps back up and looked down at him, passed out on his stomach with his head facing the window through which moonlight peeked into the room. Lily's breathing was the only sound in the room, apart from the miniscule ticking of a watch that was lying on someone's bed. She looked down at Draco's unconscious form again.

"Oh no," she whispered to herself, bringing both her hands to her head and leaning down. "No, no, no..."

She quickly jumped to her feet, grabbing her shirt from the floor and covering herself with it. She stumbled about the room, apparently dizzy, until she finally located her shoes. Then, with one last look at Draco's unconscious form, she hurried out of the room as silently as she could, obviously dismissing the fact that one of the chairs in the room had just moved at its own accord.

* * *

"I can't believe you didn't remember this," James mumbled after his little tale concluded.

"I-I do now," Draco muttered, his eyes somewhere else.

"Well...that's that..." James said in a would-be casual tone of voice that brought Draco's head up to look at him.

"You've been holding onto this ever since that night," he declared, watching his friend but not knowing how to even begin defending his actions which, now that he thought about it, he remembered... _vividly._

James only nodded.

"And...the shoe on the window ledge...the lamp on the bedside table...t-that was you?" Draco said. It pained him to say this out loud but he needed to say it nonetheless.

"Oh no, the lamp was all you," James said, his eyes avoiding Draco's.

"Oh," said Draco, nodding stupidly in agreement.

There was silence. Now everything made sense. Now he knew why James had acted so weird that day they left Hogwarts...why he'd been almost unbearable in the train ride to King's Cross...why he hadn't written to Draco all break and why he had ignored him ever since they got back.

"Anyway," said James suddenly, "Thought you should—"

"Y-yeah," said Draco, "Yeah, thanks. I'm, uh, glad you...did..."

"Yeah," James agreed, now rising from his seat. "At least now I know that you really didn't remember until I'd brought it up."

He started to walk away when Draco suddenly cried out, "Hey wait up!"

James did not stop, but continued to make his way out of the library. Draco, obviously not caring that he was getting dangerous looks from the librarian now, rushed his way past desks, causing papers to fly in all directions, until he'd reached James and pulled at his arm. "James, wait!"

James turned to look at him, wrenching his arm free, his eyes distant and stranger-like.

"James," Draco breathed, frowning at him. "I..."

But James only shook his head and went through the double doors. Draco stood, staring after him, caught short of breath. He turned his head to look at the librarian glaring at him from behind her desk. He sighed, nodded at her and turned back to his table.

When he finally reached it, he slowly sat back in his seat and dropped his eyes to Regulus's book. Now that he remembered exactly what had happened that night, he couldn't un-remember it. It was the most horrifying thing he could ever think of doing...in this timeline, anyway.

Feeling as though someone had just electrocuted him, Draco quickly packed up all his things and shoved them into his bag, hurrying his way out of the library and down the darkened and nearly deserted castle corridors. He peeked out every passing window on his way to Gryffindor Tower, by which point he was half-running, half-limping. He finally made it to the common room and looked round, feeling raged, and most of all, _ashamed_.

Finally spotting what he'd come there for, he walked over to the little table by the fireplace and dumped his book bag onto it with a loud and heavy thud, not caring about his neighbours' gasps. He then leaned down, both fists on the table, eyes blazing with fire.

"We need to talk," he declared, teeth gritted.

* * *

 **Let the reviews begin. . .**


	33. Bermuda

**Author's Note : You'll find that this half of sixth year is much more fast-paced than the first half was. We have a lot planned so do try and keep up with the details. We know exactly where we're headed up until chapter 60 (which won't be the end of the story, like we promised, it'll be a long one, but we have planned details that far) and we hope you continue to enjoy as we publish. **

**Also, happy summer, everyone!**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 33: BERMUDA

"Ow—Draco, cut it out! You're hurting me!" Lily cried as he pulled her by the arm out through the portrait hole and into the corridor outside the common room. Exasperated, Lily turned to look at him. "What, what is it?"

Draco opened his mouth, glanced sideways at the Fat Lady, who was resting her chin on her palms and giving him a 'do continue' look, and then pulled Lily a little ways down the corridor so that they were out of earshot. Hell, he didn't need the most gossipy portrait in the castle knowing _this._

Finally, Draco stopped to look at Lily. She waited.

"Anything you wanna tell me?" he asked, breathless.

"Um...no?"

"Really?" said Draco, his voice full of sarcasm, though still quite calm. "Nothing at all?"

"Draco, what's—"

"Not even something pertaining to the little holiday party before the break?"

"Oh no," Lily muttered.

"Oh yes," said Draco.

Lily nodded her head and looked down at her feet. "So...you remember then..."

When Draco didn't answer straightaway, she chanced a glance at him, and found him staring back at her, eyebrows raised.

"Um yeah, no thanks to _you!"_

"Draco, I—"

"How could you keep this to yourself?" he interrupted, his tone accusatory. "You and I both know I was drunker than you that night. I mean, seriously, Lily, how _could_ you keep this from me?"

"Honestly?" she said, looking up at him. "I didn't think you'd want to know."

"Yeah well that wasn't your decision to make!" Draco cried out.

Lily's eyes went slightly round. He sighed and looked around again. All the portraits in the hallway were wide awake and watching the pair of them. Draco lowered his voice as he looked back at Lily with stone cold eyes.

"You should've told me."

"Are you saying that you would've been okay with me telling you about this the next morning?" she asked, softly.

"Yes," Draco breathed.

"Honestly, what's the big deal though?" she said. "It didn't even mean anything to either of us—"

"That doesn't matter," Draco snapped. "I like knowing who I've hooked up with."

"Why, so you could add it to your little list?" laughed Lily.

"Don't push it, Evans."

She grew serious again. "We haven't hooked up."

"Well not officially, no, but things...happened."

"Nothing happened."

"Something _could_ have happened."

"Nothing happened."

"Lily," said Draco, sharply, making her look at him. "Would you have stopped me if something started to...happen?"

She stared at him now, eyes full of mystery.

"I...I should get back to my essay..." She turned away but Draco grabbed both her wrists and forced her to turn back to him.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't have stopped me," he demanded.

Lily struggled to set her wrists free but when Draco didn't let go she looked down and took a deep breath. Then, moments later, she met his eyes. She opened her mouth but said nothing. Draco sucked in his breath so as to try and calm himself down. If he'd thought he'd screwed things up with Regulus in this timeline...he'd definitely underestimated his power to screw up the future Potters before they even graduated...

* * *

 _The night before the holidays_

* * *

"ALRIGHT SERIOUSLY, WHO WANTS TO SEE ME RIDE A BROOMSTICK NAKED?!" Harrison Langley shouted in ecstasy to the cheering common room.

Someone whooed and Langley began stripping, though it took him longer to do drunk than it probably would have were he sober. Draco didn't stick around to watch. He already felt so dizzy from the drinks, he knew he had to get to bed. But getting across the common room to the spiral staircase that would take him safely to his dormitory deemed too challenging a task at the moment, so he resorted for one of the couches near the fireplace. Unfortunately, he didn't make it five steps before he tripped over the rug and fell into the arms of a stranger.

"Oh, sorry," he said, quickly, before he realized who was holding his arms. A boyish grin crossed his face. "Hey Evans, didn't expect to still see you down here at this hour."

"Why, because I'm supposed to already be in bed by now?" she teased, grinning back at him.

Draco looked down and laughed. One of Langley's shoes flew across the room then and hit a vase which fell to the floor and shattered. The crowd cheered again. Over in the corner, Remus was drunkenly reciting something that could only be described as one of the Sorting Hat's pathetic little start-of-term poems...and he was doing this with nothing but his boxers and a Gryffindor scarf on. Somehow though, it didn't matter now that anyone could spot the many scratches on his body and become suspicious. As far as Draco could tell, everyone in the common room was completely trashed.

"Why so serious, Draco?" Lily said now, bringing his attention back to her. "I thought you were supposed to be this big bad party boy, yet I don't see you taking off any clothes and trying to dance on the table."

"You'd want that, wouldn't you?" said Draco amidst giggly laughs and slurs.

"Ugh, don't start," Lily said, looking away from him for a second before turning back.

It was then that Draco realized she still had her hands on his arms, holding him steady so that he wouldn't fall over. He took a good look at her. She was wearing a dark blue top and some skin-tight jeans which really punctuated how great her body looked. She'd also let her hair down, as opposed to just braiding it as usual. It also appeared that she was wearing just a little bit of makeup, to really highlight her eyes. And her lips... _fiercely_ red. Draco moved his arms away from her.

"Don't worry, Evans, I won't fall...I'm not _that_ drunk..." he said, moving to lean against the nearest couch, "...yet..."

But Lily did not step down and instead moved with him, so that she was standing just in front of him.

"Oh I'm not worried about you one bit," she informed him.

He took a close look at her now and realized several key features that he'd failed to notice before. Her hair wasn't as neat as it'd been earlier that day, and her eyes were just slightly watery. She was also looking rather flushed, as though she too, had several drinks in her. Funny, Draco hadn't seen her all night so he'd just assumed she wasn't even at the party. But it looked now as though she'd definitely been present.

"I didn't think you drank," he said, trying to keep his concentration on her face but finding his eyes starting to wander to dangerous territories.

"Did Mary tell you that?"

Draco, still distracted, continued to examine her and Lily snapped her fingers in front of his face to grab his attention again.

"Huh? What?" Draco said, grinning still, his hand now finding its way to her shoulder so that he'd be able to gather the strength to raise his eyes so that they were on _hers,_ and not elsewhere.

Lily gave a frustrated sigh and looked away from him.

"Loosen up a little, Evans," Draco said in an almost whiny sort of voice. Lily snapped her head back to him and he giggled once. "You don't always have to think with your head. Sometimes, it's better to just not think."

"Well you would know a lot about that, wouldn't you?" Lily observed.

Draco shrugged and looked away from her, the smile still on his face as he watched his classmates have their fun.

"Nothing wrong with it," he answered her, gesturing at the common room.

Lily looked around with him, then met his eyes again, her arms now folded in front of her, while his hands moved away from her completely.

"I can let loose, you know," she defended. "I'm...not who everyone thinks I am."

"Honey, _I'm_ not who everyone thinks I am," Draco slurred.

"I don't doubt that's true," Lily stated, causing Draco to look up at her and find her smiling.

"Touché," he said.

His eyes wandered again and it was all he could do not to throw up from all the nausea rushing to his throat. His head was starting to spin too.

"You know, I've seen the way you've looked at me in the hallways and in classes," Lily was now saying.

Draco let out a snort. "Isn't it the other way around? _You_ always watching _me?"_

"Mmm," said Lily, taking another step towards him and brushing her fingers ever so lightly on his wrist so that they started to slowly run up his arm, making him shiver slightly.

"You been dreaming about me at nights, Evans?" Draco said, still grinning stupidly.

"Oh definitely," Lily said. "I stay awake every night, just wishing you were next to me. How, oh, _how_ did I _ever_ live _without_ you in my life?!"

"You liar," laughed Draco, looking down again, with now both his hands on her shoulders so as to keep himself from actually falling off the couch.

Lily laughed too.

"But in all seriousness," she said, after they'd both calmed down, "I can let loose—anytime I want to."

"And do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Want to?" Draco repeated, barely aware of what was going on around them anymore, and just focused on her.

Lily stared back at him, her eyes speaking tales which he couldn't hear. He waited for her answer, knowing that it had probably shocked her and she was now attempting to figure out a clever response. This was no doubt not what she'd expected.

But it was Draco's turn to be taken aback when Lily suddenly smiled flirtatiously and gave a light nod of the head.

"Wait, really?" Draco said.

At this, Lily leaned forward and whispered "Very much" in his ear. Draco shivered from the feel of her breath so close to his neck, and his heart skipped a beat.

Langley, who was now buck naked, flew across the room, crashed into a pile of books, jumped back up and flew the other way like nothing happened, to the tune of the drunken crowd's roaring and applause, as well as the background party music. Draco found Sirius, who was amidst a wild makeout session with some blonde girl and already had a hand up her blouse. He then looked over at Remus, who was now giving some giggly girl a piggyback ride across the room. Peter was already snoozing on a coffee table and everyone else in the common room was laughing, shouting, kissing or drinking. And then it occurred to Draco that none of this would matter tomorrow. No one would remember. It was like tomorrow didn't even exist. And if he was already thinking along that philosophy, why not make it count?

He turned to look at Lily again, who moved slightly away from him so that she could see his face, both her hands now gripping his arms tightly, as though _she_ were the one in need of support standing.

"Ladies first," Draco said, cocking an eyebrow at her.

And to his great surprise, she didn't even protest. Helping him off the couch, she took his hand in hers and began to lead him through the wild crowd of the common room, taking one drink off a table and finishing it off before tossing the glass at the couch. Draco did the same. Twice.

As it turned out, the spiral staircase that led up to the boys' dormitory wasn't as far as he'd initially thought it was. They reached it soon enough and climbed up the stairs until they reached his door. Lily turned to look at him, fiery excitement in her eyes which told Draco that _she wanted this._

* * *

"I...have to go," Lily now whispered, looking pained and tired.

Draco stared at her, still not understanding. He slowly released her wrists and she took a step away from him.

"What was the bloody plan, Lily?" he said, quietly, his voice echoing slightly in the dark corridor. "What, do you just sit around in your spare time plotting ways to torture guys? First James, then Sev and now me?!"

"That's not fair!" Lily cried out now. "James Potter is an arrogant _idiot_ , Severus is an obsessive stalker and you—"

"YES?" said Draco, eager to hear how she would finish that sentence.

Lily watched him carefully.

"You're different," she finally said in barely more than a whisper.

Draco let out a sarcastic smile. "Oh no. Nuh-uh, it's not gonna happen."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

Lily looked away from him once again, arms still folded in front of her.

"Can we just forget about the whole thing?" she said, softly.

"No, unfortunately we can't," Draco said.

"But—"

"James knows."

Lily stared at Draco, complete and utter shock written on her now pale face.

"H-he does?" she whispered.

Draco nodded. "Don't ask how—it might kill you."

Lily shook her head, looked away, looked at Draco again and then buried her face in her hands.

"Oh my god," she cried into them.

"He's not gonna tell people," Draco offered, "But yeah. He knows."

"I...I don't know what to say," Lily said, finally lifting her face to show distraught. "I'm...humiliated."

Draco tilted his head now. "Why, 'cause hooking up with the likes of me is so darn embarrassing?"

"We didn't hook up!" Lily cried out now.

"Oh come _on!"_ Draco said, half laughing and half yelling. "Exactly in which direction did you think things were headed before I passed out on you?"

Lily considered this for a moment but then shook her head quickly and turned away, suddenly jumping in surprise.

"Heeeeey guys," said Remus, slowly. "W-what's going on here?"

Neither of them had noticed him approaching and now he stood just in between them, looking confused and slightly startled.

"Nothing," Lily answered, her eyes on Draco. "There—is—absolutely— _nothing_ —going on here."

Draco stared right back at her and gave a little nod in agreement, though couldn't think of anything to say.

Clearly not wanting to stick around any longer, Lily hurried away from them and back through the portrait hole. The boys watched her for a few seconds after she'd gone. Then, Remus turned to look at Draco.

"Where's James?" he asked expectedly.

"Taking a walk," Draco answered, still watching the portrait hole where Lily had disappeared.

"We thought he was with you," Sirius said, appearing at Remus's side with his mouth full of some jelly pastry, completely oblivious to the fact that Lily was there only moments ago.

"Why would you think that?" Draco said.

James had been avoiding him for so long now.

"That's what the map showed," said Remus. "That's actually the reason why we left Hagrid's Hut early. Admittedly, we were surprised to see the two of you next to each other."

"Yeah well..." Draco mumbled, "...it wasn't for long."

"I'll check where he is!" cried Peter, who'd also appeared at Remus's other side and now quickly pulled the map from his pocket. Draco gave him a questioning look and Sirius shrugged.

"He said he wouldn't lose it again," he mumbled in between bites.

"Ah," said Draco. "Where'd you get the pastry?"

"Hagrid's," Sirius said.

Peter flipped open the map, tapped it with his wand (muttering the incantation quickly under his breath) and unfolded many corners, his eyes narrowed as he skimmed through the various passageways with excitement on his face.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked Draco in a soft voice.

"Yep," Draco answered, simply, having no interest in discussing any of this with Remus.

Unless...

"Hey did James...?" he said, now wondering but doubting whether James had indulged the boys with this tale.

"Did James what?" said Remus, looking genuinely concerned now.

"Found him!" Peter cried out, his finger pointed at a corner in the map which indicated that lonesome seventh floor corridor where no one ever bothered going.

"Never mind," Draco mumbled in response to Remus's question. "Come on, let's go study."

"But shouldn't we...?"

"He wants to be alone, Remus, come on."

Draco led the hesitant boys back through the portrait hole, though not before he caught the Fat Lady giving him an amused and knowing look. He rolled his eyes at her in response. If she knew what was good for her, she'd keep her mouth shut.

Draco waited up for James that night, and long after the marauders had fallen asleep, he remained seated on his bed, the tip of his wand lit as he examined the map spread out in front of him. James's dot had disappeared a while ago, indicating that he was no doubt in the Room of Requirement, pacing or raging or whatever the hell it was that he was doing. Draco anxiously waited, not even sure of what he would say when his friend finally returned.

He remembered that night very clearly now. He remembered every sound, every scent, every shout in the common room. He remembered every shiver from Lily's breath on him...every kiss and every hairpull. He remembered how much she'd surprised him that night, with all her urges and her control...the sexy white bra she'd worn for the occasion, so that he'd be able to see it in the dark. But he also remembered their conversation beforehand. There was no way that she'd planned it. He was sure that somewhere between what they were saying (and with the help of the couple of drinks she'd had in her), she suddenly got the idea and went with it. But to arrive in the common room that night with the idea already planted in her head?

No way was that the case.

Draco continued on waiting, but as the clock on his bedside table ticked the seconds away into the darkness, he started to drift off, and soon his wand rolled out of his hand and his head fell right on the map.

The next time he woke, it was just after four in the morning. The map was gone, his wand was placed on his bedside table, and James appeared to be fast asleep in his bed across the room. Draco took several deep breaths as he tried to recover from yet another dream about the Astronomy Tower, and contemplated whether he should wake James up or wait until morning.

After a few more minutes of sitting in the dark, listening to the boys' soft breathing as they slept, Draco decided on the latter and fell back down on his bed, though it was hours before he managed to sleep again.

He was later awoken by Sirius slamming the dormitory door shut and pausing to stare at Draco.

"Sorry mate, didn't mean to wake you," he said.

Draco rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. It was just the two of them. Sirius crossed over to the other side of the dormitory and sat on his bed by the window. He pulled out his wand and began twirling little white feathers in the air with a concentrated look on his face. Beside him, the sun was shining brightly through the window and it didn't appear to be snowing.

"What time is it?" Draco mumbled, slowly raising himself to a sitting position and holding his pounding head.

"Just after nine," Sirius said.

"Shit..." said Draco. "Am I...are we late...?"

"Nah, it's Wednesday," said Sirius, still concentrated on the feathers. "Free period, mate."

"Where's...where's James?"

"Downstairs," said Sirius, simply.

Draco sat up more on the bed and squinted through the light coming into the room. "Well why aren't you with him?"

"I was," said Sirius, finally stopping with the feathers. "I just left."'

"Okay..." said Draco, still not understanding. He sighed deeply and looked around the room. "What do we have today?"

"Charms and Potions I think," said Sirius, crossing his legs on his bed now.

Draco looked at him.

"How...how _is_ James?"

Sirius frowned. "Fine, why?"

"I dunno," Draco mumbled, looking away from him.

Sirius tilted his head. "You guys finally talked yesterday, didn't you?"

Draco looked up at his friend again. "You mean he didn't tell you?"

"No, all he talked about today was Quidditch."

"Quidditch?"

"Yeah man, we've got a game coming up." Draco stared at Sirius, who in turn raised his eyebrows at him. "You know that..."

"Yeah, I guess there's just been a lot on my mind," Draco finally said. He stood up from the bed and stretched.

"Anything I can help with?" said Sirius.

"Nah, it's fine," Draco said, shifting about the room to collect his things.

"Okay," said Sirius, mostly to himself. "Well...I'm here if you need...you know, like to talk and stuff..."

"Right," said Draco distractedly.

After he was all dressed and ready for the day, Sirius hopped off the bed and walked out of the dormitory with him. There were a few seventh and sixth year students scattered about the common room when they got there, but no James. Draco and Sirius left Gryffindor Tower altogether and proceeded to the Great Hall, which was fairly empty. Only a few older students were scattered about the tables, enjoying a late breakfast or reading through the _Morning Prophet._

The boys sat at the Gryffindor table and Draco immediately started on breakfast, as it suddenly hit him just how hungry he was. Sirius randomly doodled on a piece of parchment, claiming he'd already eaten. After a while, he grew bored with his drawings and started ruffling through his hair as if trying to fix it.

"I like it," Draco told him. "It suits you better than the long hair did."

"Thanks," said Sirius. "Andy said it would."

Draco pushed his plate away and leaned back, folding his arms in front of him.

"So... shots, poker and haircut..."

"Yeah," Sirius smiled. "If anyone knows how to cheer a person up, it's Andy."

Draco laughed.

"You probably would've had more fun if you had been with us that night, instead of that stupid wedding," Sirius said now.

Draco thought for a minute, wondering if that was true. But though he had been emotional that night, and though a lot had happened, he knew in his heart that he was glad to have attended the wedding, because it gave him a chance to see his parents happy. And he would give anything to have that chance again.

James suddenly filled the seat next to Draco and gave him and Sirius an acknowledging nod before reaching for an apple in the nearest fruit basket.

"What are we talking about?" he said to no one in particular.

"Nothing," Sirius mumbled without looking at him.

Draco chanced a glance sideways at James, who met his eyes briefly before looking away. Well that certainly answered his unasked question. James had no intention of rehashing what went down last night. He was also doing a good job of avoiding Sirius too.

Draco was seriously starting to wonder whether the two of them had had an argument of some sort when the bell rang and everyone who was in the Great Hall got to their feet, Sirius and James included. Draco followed them all the way to Professor Flitwick's classroom and sat with Sirius near the middle back.

On the whole, it was a rather productive class, though Draco certainly didn't appreciate the fresh load of homework that Professor Flitwick assigned them, and neither did the rest of the class. And Astronomy was no better, though Draco was really not looking forward to the midnight lesson that evening.

He ate lunch with just Remus that day, since none of the other boys showed up and James currently had the map in his possession. Sitting in the crowded Great Hall, Draco watched his housemates eat and discuss things and laugh about things and joke around.

"Are you sure you're not gonna eat?" Remus asked him at one point.

"I'm fine," Draco answered truthfully. "Do you have any idea where those idiots are?"

"No clue," said Remus. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yeah, why do you keep asking me that?"

Remus paused before answering, "You just seem on edge."

"I'm fine," Draco repeated, looking away from him.

His eyes landed on Lily, sitting several seats away from him, laughing with Alice and Frank about something Draco couldn't hear. He watched her for a few minutes, wondering whether he'd really screwed up or if this could be something they'd all just forget about for the rest of time.

Who was he kidding though...James would never forget.

But it seemed that only Draco was getting the blame here, which he really didn't think was fair. He might've been drunk, but from what he remembered, there were _two_ sets of hands and _two_ sets of lips that night. He didn't exactly force her upstairs with him. If anything, _she_ had led _him_ up those stairs. _She_ had pulled _him_ closer to her. She had probably wanted it more than he had, for reasons he knew he would never quite fully understand. He could ask her, sure, but he didn't really feel like starting yet another rivalry if James saw him even look in Lily's direction, much less talk with her. It wasn't worth the risk.

When Remus was all done, he convinced Draco to leave the Great Hall with him, claiming that all the noise and crowd was giving him a headache. They ended up taking the long route to the dungeons, and thus bypassed many silent corridors with little to no life. The entire time they walked, Draco felt Remus's hard gaze on him. At first he tried to ignore it, his mind instead focused on James and what an annoying prat he was being. But by the time they'd reached the corridor leading directly to the dungeons, Draco had lost his patience.

"What—what is it?!" he said, stopping to look at Remus.

"Sorry?"

"I know you want to say something to me so just say it, okay? Don't play games."

"I'm not," said Remus quickly.

Draco waited. He watched as his friend stood there, fidgeting nervously. Though finally, he seemed to make a decision because he gave a deep sigh and looked Draco in the eye.

"Lily's about the most careful person I know," he began. "She's never been one to do something impulsive o-or spontaneous. I...guess I was just wondering how you managed to...well to..."

Draco shifted slightly.

"You...know about that?" he said slowly, finally understanding. He hadn't thought James would tell any of the marauders about it. Or at least, not _Remus._

"Yeah, she told me," Remus answered. "Yesterday."

Oh.

"What did she say?"

"Enough," said Remus.

The two boys stood there awkwardly in the corridor, their book bags at their shoulders.

"You're not gonna be mad at me now too, are you?" Draco asked bitterly.

Remus cracked a smile. "No, of course not! Despite what James might've thought all these years, Lily has always been just a friend."

"Then why do you care what we did?"

Remus thought for a minute. "Because as much as she has been my friend, she's also been like a little sister that I take care of. And when someone hurts her or is mean to her, it hurts me too."

"I wasn't mean to her," Draco said quickly. "And I certainly didn't hurt—"

"I didn't think that you did," Remus interrupted. "But as she was telling me this, I grew more and more shocked and it's because she has never done anything like this! It was so uncharacteristic of her, I'm even surprised that she told me!"

"I'm surprised she told you too," Draco mumbled.

There was a pause, during which Draco eyed Remus carefully. "Are you suggesting that I was the initiator?"

"The thought has crossed my mind, yes," Remus admitted. "I'm not mad at you—you've always been a direct person and if Sirius gets urges when he's drunk, then I'm sure you do too. I guess I'm just curious how you managed it with _her_. I-I mean, she's a bright girl!"

"There's nothing _girl_ about her," Draco mumbled. "She's quite adult, I'll tell you that."

"Awe, please don't talk about her like that, Draco," Remus groaned. "She's like a baby sister to me. I-it's..."

"Alright, alright," Draco said, giving a small laugh as Remus cringed before him. "Hah, if only you knew how skilled she really is..."

"Draco," said Remus suddenly, "I'm not gonna stand here and let you talk like that about someone I care about, okay?" Draco's smile faded. "If you want to brag about how amazing it was, what you did to her that night, then go and find Sirius."

"I'm confused," Draco began. "What exactly did she tell you? Did she say that I had her strapped up against the wall? Was I threatening her with the torture curse unless she did exactly what I wanted? No. _She_ was there, with me, in the moment, wanting and _willing_ to do everything that we did, okay?"

"Draco—"

"I mean honestly, don't you know me better than that by now, Remus?!"

"That's not fair," said Remus quickly. "You have a habit of doing uncharacteristic things too. You're not exactly a predictable person, Draco. You can't blame me for assuming that—"

"That what, I _forced_ her to that dormitory with me?!"

Remus paused, looking around the hallway awkwardly.

"Well I didn't," Draco said, setting the record straight once and for all. "I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt here, Remus." The boy looked at him again. "Have some faith in me, dammit."

"I do," Remus said. "I just...I guess I don't understand it, that's all."

Draco thought for a minute, wondering what exactly it was that he was trying to convince Remus. Or what he would later tell James when they eventually talked. Or what he was trying to convince himself...

"I don't know what got into her that night—she didn't seem as drunk as I was," he finally admitted. "And I only wish that James would actually let me explain that it _wasn't_ all me!"

"Draco," Remus suddenly said, "Look, the thing with James...he'll get over it with time. Trust me. And if he doesn't, I'll do the talking myself and I'll play the role of the mediator and I'll make sure all is well. I'll do that because I'm your friend, just as much as I am his. And, if being with Lily is something that you want, then—"

"Whoa, whoa, back up there, mate!" cried Draco. "I don't want to be with her."

"But..."

"Look, two people can hook up one night without wanting anything more the next day, right?"

"Well...I mean yeah, but..."

"And James would know that I don't want anything if he'd just bloody talk to me but he doesn't seem to want that clarification so..."

"But Draco, are you sure that's what _she_ wants? To forget about it the next day, I mean?"

Draco paused to look hard at Remus. "Are you suggesting otherwise? Did she say something to you?"

"Well no, but—"

"Look Moony, I respect you a lot and you're one of my bests, but do me a favour and stay out of it, okay?"

"Okay," said Remus quickly. "It's none of my business."

"You're right," said Draco. "It's not."

He turned to leave, but Remus grabbed his arm.

"But she _is_ like a little sister to me," he whispered, "So if you hurt her or take advantage of her in any way, I _will_ make it my business, Draco. I'm not about to let _anyone_ hurt her, not even a git like James."

"You can't exactly take advantage of a person, who is throwing themselves at you, now can you?" Draco mumbled, shrugging his arm off and continuing down the corridor.

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?" Remus said, hurrying to keep up with him.

Draco stopped just at the door to Potions and turned to look at his friend one last time.

"It means that Lily Evans is clearly not the person everyone thinks she is. Or at least she wasn't that night."

He walked in without waiting for Remus's reaction and sat at the table, mutually agreeing with his friend to pretend like that conversation had never happened. And as the week passed, it became all the more easy to pretend like it hadn't. Though at the same time, it became all the more difficult to convince James that Draco was _not_ hooked on Lily. Draco did everything he could to try and get James on his own so that he could attempt to explain himself, but James was obviously making it a priority to ensure that conversation between them never happened. He hardly ate with the marauders in the Great Hall, he was always in or out of the dormitory before them, and he sat with only Peter in classes and no one else.

Muggle Studies on Thursday morning was awkward enough, and James resorted to just sitting with Severus throughout the lesson, which was something he'd never done. Many students in the class were watching them, James included. Even Lily looked to be surprised. But Severus mostly just looked pleased, and Draco knew exactly why. According to him, Draco was becoming more and more like 'their people'. And Severus couldn't possibly be more overjoyed at the idea.

At the end of the lesson, Draco had assumed that James would wait for him, seeing as how they were all headed in the same direction anyway, but James bolted out the door as soon as the bell had rung. Frustrated, Draco walked to Transfiguration with Severus instead, and even made a point of sitting with him. Everyone in the class stared at them, and even McGonagall looked taken aback, since never, in the history of Hogwarts, Draco was sure, had she ever witnessed a Gryffindor student _willingly_ sitting with a Slytherin student.

Later that night, James once again retreated to the dormitory before the others and pretended to be asleep when they took turns coming in to check on him. And so, once again, they spent the evening doing homework in the common room, though Remus was helping Peter in one corner while Draco and Sirius were in the other. Sirius, for once, was focused very much indeed on his essay, and barely even heard Draco when he called him the third time.

"What?" he finally said, looking up.

"You almost done?" Draco asked.

"Um," Sirius said, frowning down at the paper. "I don't know, if I'm being honest..."

"How can you not know?"

"Well I'm just making things up at this point to try and get it to be longer, you know?"

Draco let out a laugh, then looked in Remus's direction. He was too busy with Peter to notice. Not far from them, Lily was scribbling quickly into a notebook, with four large books open in front of her.

"What are you thinking about?" Sirius asked, following Draco's gaze.

"Nothing," Draco mumbled, still watching her deeply-concentrated face as she bit onto the tip of her quill and flipped through pages. He found himself wondering how she was not bothered by the taste of that ink, when he suddenly realized that she was biting a fake quill, and that her writing quill lay on the table in front of her. Draco bit back a laugh.

"What's on your mind, mate?"

He turned to find Sirius watching him, a fascinated look on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked.

"Well I dunno," Sirius shrugged. "You look like you've got something on your mind...or... _someone..._ "

Draco sighed deeply. "Who told you?"

"James, but I can't _believe_ that you didn't!" Sirius cried, sitting up like an excited child.

Draco rolled his eyes at him. So he'd been right. James _had_ told.

"When?" he croaked.

"Over the holidays," Sirius said. "He was still really upset when I came to crash at his place—you know how he is."

"Unfortunately," Draco mumbled.

"Anyway, you should've told me."

"I didn't remember until two days ago," Draco said instantly. "I was _drunk,_ Sirius. Really, really, _really_ drunk. Do you honestly believe that in my right mind I would've done something like this?"

"I believe that you would, yes," said Sirius, amused.

"Brilliant," Draco muttered. "Apparently everyone knows what I would or wouldn't do better than I."

"It's life, mate," Sirius shrugged.

Draco rolled his eyes at him again. He turned to look back at Lily, who was now resting her head against the armchair and looking out the window, where it was snowing heavily outside. It quite near tortured Draco, how hard she was to figure out. One minute she was saying something and the next she was doing something else entirely. And then there was James, with his ridiculous, uncalled-for jealousy.

"Hey," Sirius said, suddenly leaning forward, having pushed his books aside. Draco turned to look at him and Sirius smirked. "So I've gotta ask...which is the better kisser, Lily or Alice?"

Draco laughed. Remus sure had been right about Sirius.

"Well considering I haven't kissed Alice like that, I think you have your answer," Draco finally said.

Sirius grinned broadly. He was definitely enjoying this, which honestly surprised Draco a great deal. He'd assumed, being James's best friend, that Sirius would be pissed at him too. After all, how dare he get drunk and act impulsively?

"You're bloody lucky that you passed out when you did, otherwise James would've _killed_ you if you'd actually shagged."

"I don't doubt that for a second," said Draco, sighing deeply.

"It's pretty funny though, if you think about it," said Sirius.

"What is?" Draco looked at him.

Sirius grinned again. "I've spent maybe four years fantasizing about doing things with her, and it took you four months to _actually_ do things with her...she must _really_ like you."

"Wait...y-you and _Lily?"_

"Nah man, I don't do relationships!" Sirius cried. "But I assure you that every guy in this room has fantasized about doing things with her, including precious Remus."

"I don't think so," said Draco, remembering his conversation with Remus earlier. "I think he honestly thinks of her as a sister."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at him. "That's what _he_ says. And I find it hilarious that James thinks he's the only one who fancies her. I mean... _look_ at her!"

"Well _I_ haven't fantasized about it with her," Draco admitted truthfully. "Stop laughing, Sirius. I'm not lying. It surprised me just as much that night as it surprises you now."

"It doesn't surprise me, mate," Sirius said, still laughing. "With you and her, it's always just kind of been there...it was bound to happen eventually and if I'm being honest, only thing that surprises me is that it took four bloody months."

"Now how could _you_ know that it was going to happen but no one else did, not even me or her?" said Draco, fascinated to hear Sirius's answer.

But Sirius grabbed one of his books and sat back against the couch again. He shrugged.

"It's a gift."

Draco shook his head at him.

The next day, for the first time that week, Draco was able to actually put the James situation to rest, even if it was just for an hour. Claybrook had given a rather interesting lesson on fiendfyre. He claimed that he wanted the students to learn its properties because it is "just as important to know how to perform dark magic as it is to know how to defend it."

Draco was thoroughly pleased that he happened to share this mentality with who soon came to be his favourite professor at Hogwarts in this specific timeline. He was sad to go at the end of the lesson, though he couldn't say the same for his classmates. They looked to be thoroughly confused and quite definitely frightened of what to expect for the next lesson. But Draco hadn't seen anything wrong with the lesson. And by the looks of it, neither did the Slytherins.

After lunch, Draco bid farewell to the marauders and went to the seventh floor corridor to enjoy the free period by himself. Though on the way there, he suddenly felt a surge of fatigue wash over him, and before he could even stop himself or try to shake himself awake, he was headed for Gryffindor Tower instead. He then collapsed on his own bed and fell into a deep sleep, such that he hadn't enjoyed in _months_ probably.

It was such a peaceful sleep too. He wasn't sure what he was overcome by, but he wasn't interrupted by any nightmares or dreams whatsoever. He slept like he hadn't slept in years. He slept for every waken minute that he'd spent worrying or stressing or pacing or crying or generally freaking out.

And when James came into the dormitory to wake Draco, he sat in his bed and smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" James asked him bitterly as he stood over his bed.

Draco's smile faded. "Is this a dream?"

"No, you prat, get up!" James cried. "Professor Livesey is going to freak out."

"Why?" Draco asked sleepily, getting up from the bed.

"Because we're late to Muggle Studies, now get up!"

James jerked Draco off the bed and threw his Hogwarts sweater at him. Then, he scattered about the room and started collecting Draco's things and stuffing them into his bag while he hurriedly dressed by his bed. When he was all ready to go, he quickly followed James out of the dormitory and dashed down the stairs.

They reached Professor Livesey's classroom about twenty five minutes after class had begun, and she gave them both a cold look and continued with the lesson as though they hadn't appeared. Both their heads bent, they hurried to the back of the classroom to find their seats and pulled their books out.

The lesson was pretty dull, though at least Professor Livesey did not burden the students with extra homework assignments. They were dealing with various muggle substances that day and, for some reason, Mulciber had thought it would be funny to test his new wand out. Red paint splattered all over the walls just before the bell rang, making the classroom resemble a horror scene. Several students shrieked and dodged as the paint shot and splattered in all directions. Mulciber of course almost instantly feigned ignorance and convinced Professor Livesey that it had been an honest mistake.

And Draco had to exercise serious control in that moment and not burst out laughing when Professor Livesey actually believed him.

The bell rang and the students all started to collect their things. Draco hurried as fast as he could, seeing how James was just about ready to dart out the door. But just before he could do so, Professor Livesey called them both to her desk.

"Seeing as how you two don't mind wasting my time and prefer to walk into my classroom at whatever time suits you best, I won't mind wasting your time right now," she announced. James gave Draco a bitter sideways glance. "You shall both clean up this mess without the use of wands. And I will be deducting five points from Gryffindor. Each."

She shook her head at them again and then followed the last of the students out of the classroom for what looked to be a free afternoon. Draco could feel James's bitter gaze on him. He sighed deeply and reached for the washcloth that Livesey had left on her desk.

"Way to go, Black," James muttered, grabbing one too and starting at the wall with the windows.

Draco turned to look at him. "Seriously? I'm a _Black_ to you now?"

James said nothing, his back turned to Draco.

"I didn't ask you to come wake me, you know," Draco said hotly.

"Yeah well I would be as big a prat as you are if I didn't," said James.

"You can't do that!" Draco cried out, startling James. "You can't cut people out of your life when things get just a little rough. It doesn't work like that!"

"Cut you out?" said James, continuing to rub at the walls. "I went back to bloody wake you up, Draco. I'd hardly call that cutting out."

Draco took a few steps towards him. "That night meant nothing." James stopped washing the wall. "And something tells me that you already know that." Silence. "Oh come _on,_ if it had been Sirius, I doubt you'd have still been upset by now!"

"It _wouldn't_ have been Sirius," James said, turning to look at him. "He'd know not to do something so…disloyal."

"Disloyal?!" cried Draco. "James, in case you haven't noticed, you and Lily aren't exactly together." James glared at him. "And if it hadn't been me that night, then it would've been someone else. Just like it _will_ be someone else, sometime in the future, unless you step up and bloody talk to her already." James looked away from him. Draco sighed. "Look, that's not the point. The point is that you're one of my best friends here and I'm not gonna lose that just over some girl who I don't care about. Honestly! I really don't!"

James looked in his direction again.

"If you opened your eyes just for a second, then you'd see that there is nothing going on here," Draco finished.

James looked around the splattered red classroom again and then down at his dirty washcloth.

"I just can't stop picturing it in my mind," he finally said, in barely more than a whisper.

"And for that, I am sorry," Draco admitted. "Honestly, I'm horrified that it happened and even more horrified that you had to see it happen. But I was clearly not thinking that night!"

"Clearly," James muttered. He looked up at Draco again. "You'd tell me if it meant something, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," Draco breathed. "And it didn't."

"You're telling me the truth," James declared with a hint of a question to the end of it.

"I am," Draco promised.

James took a long, hard look at him, and then sighed deeply and gave a small nod. Draco knew how hard it must've been for him to give that nod, but he nevertheless gave it. Relief washed over him instantly and he even cracked a smile. James smiled back.

It took them just under a half hour to get the classroom back to looking like itself. At the end of it, James grabbed the bucket full of red washcloths and left the classroom to get it cleaned out. Draco stood at the window, watching the Quidditch pitch in the distance, where tiny yellow dots were flying around the hoops. The Hufflepuffs were already practicing for their game, which was weeks away.

He sighed deeply again. He hadn't thought that James would ever forgive him, but he was mighty glad that he had. And he also made a mental note not to have another drink for a long, long time.

James was gone a while, and so, soon growing bored, Draco reached over to Livesey's desk where he'd left his bag and pulled out the Tom Riddle diary. He glanced at the door again before pulling out a quill and ink bottle too. Then, he sat at one of the empty desks and thought for a minute.

 _I think I know what my animagus will look like, and I'm not sure how I feel about that._

He waited, watching as the little black letters disappeared into the page and vanished forever. A few young girls ran past the classroom in the corridor, giggling, and Draco moved the book closer to him, as if ready to hide it at any moment. Then, the letters appeared on the page.

 _Whose idea was it for you to learn the animagus transformation? Dumbledore's?_

Draco frowned down at the page, then quickly dipped his quill in ink and wrote,

 _You know of Dumbledore?_

The diary took a while to answer, by which point it had started to snow outside again. Draco could hear a bucket dropping somewhere at the end of the corridor, its echoes reaching Professor Livesey's classroom. Then, the letters appeared.

 _Tom Riddle wrote in me when he was at Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore had been his Transfiguration teacher at the time, and was granted the headmaster position shortly after Tom's graduation. As you very well assume by now, Tom wrote a lot about Albus Dumbledore._

"Ready to go?" came James's voice from the door.

Draco shoved the diary into his bag and jumped from the seat.

"Yep!" he said. "Let's go get food."

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 **Next chapter will be published as soon as y'all get generous with your reviews, so get on that. Start typing XD**


	34. Extinguished

**Author's Note : Loving all the feedback and fan theories! Just try to keep in mind, guys, that nothing is as it seems. Just when you think you've figured out what direction we're headed, there will be a plot twist waiting for you on the other side. We have given these next thirty chapters a lot of thought. With that in mind, enjoy the chapter..**

 **Message from DaOneInDaCorner : ****Really quick guys, because I don't say much, but let me just say that NatNicole, get your ass in gear, and create a damn account so we can thank you profusely for your wondrously lovely reviews. As for all the other guest reviewers who I'm not giving a shoutout to . . . umm, sorry? Look to him/her as a source for inspiration if you'd like to be mentioned, because his/her reviews have been spectacular, so yeah, my apologies, ha.**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

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CHAPTER 34: EXTINGUISHED

Draco awoke very early next day—the boys were still sleeping and it was lightly snowing out, though still evidently dark. Feeling wide awake, he reached into his bedside drawer and pulled out Dumbledore's deluminator. It had been nearly a full week since he'd been back at Hogwarts and he was yet to find out just what this strange device actually did. He had hoped Remus would have the answer but it was clear now that he would have to ask Dumbledore during tonight's lesson.

For hours, it seemed, Draco lay awake on his bed, slowly rotating the deluminator between his fingers with one hand behind his head on the pillow. His eyes were somewhat clouded over and he took deep, calm breaths as he continued to absentmindedly examine the silver object in his hand. If the version of him back from September had met him now, he doubted he would recognize himself. He truly had assimilated into the Gryffindor culture of things...the Potter ways of life. He knew his family and friends from the old timeline would cringe if they saw just how far he'd come. Though he himself wasn't yet sure how he felt about it all. All that mattered, as far as he knew, was that he had all these friends from different houses and he cared about what happened to them.

"Hey," said Sirius, slowly sitting up in his bed.

"Hey," Draco responded, his eyes still on the deluminator.

"How long you been up?"

"Dunno."

Sirius shuffled around in his bed until he grew impatient and threw down the covers. Draco kept examining the object while Sirius moved about the room, bumping into things and cursing under his breath. He finally pulled on a sweater and took a seat on Draco's bed, crossing his legs.

"What's that?" he said, pulling his socks up and shivering slightly from the cold in the room.

"It's that deluminator thing that Dumbledore gave me," Draco said quietly.

"D'you figure out what it does yet?"

Draco shook his head.

"Ask him, mate."

"Yeah, I will." Draco sat up in the bed. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Eh, if I'm up, I'm up," said Sirius, shrugging. He turned his head in the direction of the nearest window. "Looks like it's gonna snow all day."

"I don't mind it," Draco admitted. "It's kind of like a calm Saturday in that way, you know?"

Sirius nodded. He then glanced sideways at James's bed and lowered his voice. "So um, did you guys, you know...?"

"Yeah," said Draco, his eyes also on James's sleeping form. "We're good."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, I mean...you were right—he is a good friend. He wouldn't be unfair."

"Good," said Sirius. "I'm glad you've come to understand that."

Remus shifted in his bed and sighed deeply in his sleep. Draco smiled at Sirius.

"What about the haircut? Anybody say anything?"

"Nothing bad," said Sirius, running a hand through his hair. "But they might talk when I get the tattoo."

"Are you actually gonna go through with it?" said Draco. Sirius raised his eyebrows at him and Draco shrugged. "I mean, I've heard that it, you know, hurts. Like a lot."

"Nothing I haven't dealt with before," said Sirius simply.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco asked, a little worry in his voice.

"You've met my family."

"Yeah, but for like two weeks."

"Exactly."

"Meaning?"

There was a pause.

"Meaning that I've met them for seventeen years." He looked at Draco. "And that's enough for me."

Draco dwelled on that for a little longer, looking in the direction of the window every once in a while.

"What the hell happened, man?" he finally asked, looking Sirius in the eye.

Sirius merely shrugged. "I just haven't had the best upbringing, that's all. Like I said, you've met them yourself. Your imagination should be able to fill in the rest."

"Damn," Draco muttered. "That sucks, I'm sorry."

 _"_ _I_ don't care, so you shouldn't either," said Sirius. "Besides, it's not your fault."

"I know, but I'm still just...sorry."

Sirius cracked a small smile. "Yeah, thanks." He paused. "You're a good friend too, Draco."

Draco smiled back.

When the boys awoke just a little over an hour later, they decided to head down to breakfast before everybody else. On the way there, Remus grabbed a notice from the common room and informed the others when they already reached the Great Hall that there was another Hogsmeade weekend coming up. But the one thing—the _only_ thing—that the marauders seemed to be focused on that morning was the fact that Draco and James were finally talking again.

"Pass the syrup, will you?" James asked Draco directly at breakfast time and Draco handed it to him and then accepted a glass of orange juice in return.

"...so like that's what I wrote but then professor said it was wrong..." James was saying.

"...no man you've gotta list the examples because if you don't, anyone could easily confuse it for that concept she taught us on Wednesday, you know..." said Draco.

Remus just sat there, totally and completely puzzled, while Sirius and Peter both looked pleasantly surprised.

But none of the boys had any intention or desire even to bring it up or confront it. They all knew that it was better to just let it go, pretend like it never happened, and essentially move on with their lives.

When people only just started coming in to the Great Hall, at half past nine, the marauders were ready to leave. Sirius suggested they spend the day in the common room so that was exactly what they went to do. However, when they got there, Remus pulled his books out and started to spread them on a table.

"Oh no you don't," said Sirius instantly, pulling some of the books away from his friend.

"What—hey!" cried Remus. "Give it back, Sirius!"

"Nuh-uh! When I said hang out in the common room, I _meant_ hang out in the common room. No books today!"

"But I—Sirius give that back—we have so much—James, tell him!"

James raised an eyebrow, his hands in his pockets as he stood completely still. "And since when have I become the mommy for when you two are bickering at each other?"

Peter laughed.

"Come on, guys, let's play that poker thing again," said Draco, pulling Remus's book from Sirius and placing it on the table.

Remus pushed Sirius, who snickered in return, and sprawled on the carpet by the fireplace, now shuffling a deck of cards.

It continued to snow for the entire day, and for the entire day, the marauders hung out in the common room. Pretty much most of the Gryffindors were in Gryffindor Tower that day, catching up with each other and just enjoying the weekend. Even Lily made an appearance in the common room briefly, just after lunchtime, though Draco made a point of not looking in her direction, knowing perfectly well that despite everything, James was still watching him.

And he was not about to go through this with him again.

"Hey so tell us about what went down with that muggle girl over the break," Draco asked Peter once they'd moved on to Wizard's Chess. Sirius looked up expectedly and James and Remus watched Peter too.

"Um," said Peter, looking at each of the marauders, "You know...stuff..."

"Like...?" said Sirius.

"You should tell us, mate, so we can be proud of you," Draco added.

Peter gulped nervously. "I..."

"I mean we already are," Draco continued, looking to the boys for help. They all nodded their agreement and smiled at Peter encouragingly.

"But we'd like to be even more proud," Sirius concluded.

"Yeah like...you know, just stuff..." Peter was now saying.

"Like _sex?"_ said Sirius. "You actually shagged?"

When Peter didn't respond, Sirius leaned forward and sat up, his face glittering. "You mean to say you've gone further than _these_ three idiots?"

James looked down at the chess board again and Remus rolled his eyes, while Draco remained neutral, trying hard not to look in James's direction.

"Y-yeah," Peter concluded.

After a short pause, Sirius slapped him on the back, making Remus jump.

"Alright, Pete!" he cried, laughing.

Draco laughed with him, encouraging Peter to laugh nervously too. Though he and Sirius knew deep down that Peter was probably making it up, they still enjoyed themselves and gave him the will and encouragement to enjoy the praise as well.

"So," Draco finally said, turning to James, "Any, um, plans or ideas you got for the upcoming game?"

James looked directly at him and shrugged. "I dunno, I mean I've thought of a couple of things over the break but not much."

"Care to share?"

He paused. "Nah, we'll just talk about it all at the next team meeting."

"Oh. Well when's that gonna be?"

"I dunno," James shrugged again. "I haven't decided yet."

Draco looked to Sirius before adding, "Well you should make it soon. Game is gonna be here before you even know it."

"Yeah I know," James mumbled, looking very preoccupied with the chess pieces in front of him.

Draco sighed deeply. No matter how much James claimed that he'd forgiven him, it just wasn't the same. Not anymore.

He spent the rest of the day trying to rebuild his relationships with each of the marauders. He asked James some more questions about Quidditch. He played countless card games with Sirius and joked about dumb stuff. He even took an interest in Remus's homework, which, after fighting Sirius, he managed to get started on.

Ever since term had started back up again, the teachers had been working the sixth years harder than ever, but even so, Remus was managing to find time for everything and stay on top of things, which Draco found to be extremely impressive. He himself wasn't having too difficult a time in staying on top of things, but only because it was his second time around. Remus was at the top of nearly every class, sharing the title with Draco and with Lily of course. Lily, he could understand. All she ever did was homework. But the marauders kept Remus as busy as they possibly could, always dragging him out on adventures. Combining that with his condition, Draco was still finding himself amazed at how well his friend was doing.

Soon, it was dinnertime and the marauders found themselves enjoying quite the feast in the Great Hall with all their fellow housemates. James and Sirius instantly got busy with talking to the seventh years, while Remus discussed something homework-related with some other fellow sixth year whom Draco did not know. Draco looked over at the Slytherin table a couple of times and even caught Severus's eye once. Regulus though, seemed more preoccupied with listening to whatever that Cattermole girl was saying. Draco smiled to himself. It was too obvious the kid was drooling over her.

After dinner, the boys returned to the common room because it was still snowing outside and considerably freezing. Draco hung out with them for a little while, just killing time until he'd have to go to Dumbledore's office for his Saturday night lesson. They actually got their books out this time and got started on a little bit of homework, upon Remus insisting. But after about twenty minutes or so, Sirius got bored with it and hauled Draco into another game of Wizard's Chess, which James soon grew occupied with watching. Then, to make things even better, Lily decided to show up.

"What's up?" Remus asked her as she sat down next to him.

"Can I borrow those arithmancy notes from you?" she said to him quietly.

"Lily Evans needs _my_ notes?" said Remus with a smirk, handing them to her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I want to make sure I didn't miss anything Professor Slyfield was saying, that's all."

"Knock yourself out," said Remus.

Lily opened up his notebook and bit down on her lip as she frowned at the pages of scribbling handwriting. Draco watched her briefly until he could feel James's eyes on him and then looked away and impulsively moved a chess piece.

Sirius smirked and killed it off quickly with his queen, also resulting in a perfect—

"Checkmate!" he shouted.

Draco looked slightly taken aback but managed to smile as Sirius cleaned up the board and waved his wand around, placing the pieces back in their appropriate slots.

"Another round?" he said.

"Um," said Draco, glancing at the watch on Remus's wrist, "We probably don't have time..."

"I'll play you," James offered.

Draco moved aside to let him take his place and Sirius rubbed his hands with anticipation. He then gestured for James to make the first move and James moved a pawn two squares and sat back, crossing his legs. Draco hoped that he'd beat Sirius so they could wipe that smirk off his face eventually.

"Draco," said Lily's voice.

Everyone paused, and Draco looked in James's direction awkwardly before turning to acknowledge Lily.

"Yes?" he said as neutrally as humanly possible.

"I heard that you attended the Malfoy wedding over the holiday break," Lily announced.

She was brave, he had to give her that. Definitely the most fearless girl he'd ever met, though still, he had no idea why she was doing this.

"Where did you hear that?" he managed.

She frowned. "Well I've seen the paper, you know."

"Oh." He'd forgotten about that.

"So how was it then?"

"Loud," Draco said, looking away from her and down at the chessboard.

James nodded at him once, though no one besides Sirius seemed to notice, and then looked at the board himself.

"Knight to E5," Sirius announced.

"It must've been odd though, meeting all those people who are your family but who you've never even heard of," Lily went on.

"Um yeah, possibly," Draco muttered, still looking down at the board.

"I'm only asking because I've never attended a pureblood wedding," Lily continued. Draco finally looked up at her and she shrugged. "I mean, I'm totally against the label. I think any wedding, no matter what blood type, is special. But I do hear that those types of weddings can be quite glamorous and...well...overdone, I guess."

"It was fine," Draco said. He then pulled himself to his feet and stretched. "Well, I'm off."

"Good luck!" said Peter.

Draco smiled at him and started sidestepping some of the books on the carpet on his way to the portrait hole. Just before he got there, he heard Lily quietly say "Good luck with what?"

"He has a meeting with Dumbledore now," Remus told her as Draco crawled through the portrait hole.

The entire way there, he thought about how totally uncalled for and unnecessary it was of Lily to join them in the common room just now. She was not a stupid girl. She probably realized, on some level, James's feelings for her. And she did know that he knew about her and Draco getting on a friendlier note. Was she seriously _trying_ to make things even more awkward between them?

By the time he'd reached Dumbledore's office, Draco was positively furious with Lily, but managed to bring down some of that anger when Dumbledore let him in and he finally saw him, one-on-one, for the first time since the holidays.

"Sit down," Dumbledore told him kindly.

Draco sat.

* * *

"How are you, Draco?"

"Tired. Really, truly, genuinely tired." He leaned forward in his chair. "Say, you think you could, uh, tell your professors to take it down a bit with all the homework lately?"

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "Sixth year at Hogwarts is not a laughing matter, Draco."

"I never said it was, professor. If you forget, I _have_ completed it."

"You sound resentful of having to complete it a second time."

"I'm not."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and Draco shrugged stubbornly, leaning back in his chair.

"Very well then," said Dumbledore. "How have things been since you got back?"

Draco thought about it for a minute. He'd spent the first day or so trying to convince Sirius that he still thought and felt the same things that his friends did as Gryffindors. He spent every day after that trying to convince James that there was nothing going on between him and Lily, and then trying to convince himself that Lily would back off soon. And on top of all of that, he attended classes and added to the piles of homework he already had waiting for him in his dormitory.

"Fine," he answered vaguely.

Dumbledore sighed. "Draco, these lessons are not just to improve your skills as an advanced wizard. Yes, they provide us with the time and means to prepare for the future, because neither of us knows what the future holds." Draco smirked and Dumbledore gave him a look. "You can't know that things will work out exactly the way they did in your timeline. Not with your presence here this time around. And anyhow, the point I am trying to get across is that these lessons are...opportunities for you to let your guard down, discuss your worries with me, and _be_ Draco Malfoy." Draco looked at him at the sound of his real name. It felt unnatural at this point. Clearly realizing this, Dumbledore smiled softly. "You can't forget who you are, Draco."

"I know that," Draco muttered.

"Good, so I'll ask again," said Dumbledore pleasantly, "How are you, since our last conversation?"

Draco thought back to that night in Grimmauld Place with the fireplace and Phineas Nigellus. It already seemed like so long ago, and he definitely wasn't the same person now as he was that night.

"I'm fine, honestly," he said. "Listen, professor, that night...I was just...going through a lot. I was still in shock over Sirius and I guess I...I wasn't really thinking. I just, I don't want you to take more meaning from that night than you need to. It really wasn't a big deal. I just want to forget about it."

"I don't," said Dumbledore, eyebrows raised. "On the contrary, I'm glad you came to me in a moment of need and I hope you will continue to do so whenever you feel overwhelmed or anxious or nervous about anything, anything at all."

"Technically, _I_ didn't come to you—a portrait did," Draco said under his breath, doubting Dumbledore had heard him. He then added, more loudly, "I hear you."

"Good," said Dumbledore, "And if you say you are fine, then I shall believe you. Let us move on."

"Okay."

"How is young Regulus doing?"

Draco groaned. "Professor, he's not young. I mean, yes, he's just a kid in some ways, but he's already a grownup too...a grownup who should know better and who should be aware of the consequences of his actions."

"And what makes you say that?"

Shit.

"I just...I just hope he's always thinking before acting, that's all," Draco quickly mumbled.

"I see," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "And are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Thinking before acting?"

"Yeah," said Draco quickly. "I mean...well yeah."

"Alright," said Dumbledore. He thought for a minute. "How was the wedding?"

There it was. The very topic Draco had hoped to avoid.

"Um...yeah, it was...you know, like just a regular wedding and all."

"I see," said Dumbledore calmly. "But I imagine it came as quite a surprise to you when you found out it was your parents who were getting married." He paused to look at Draco. "And I'm sure you felt many things while you were there, being their son and having them not know about it, or anyone for that matter."

"What are you saying?"

"I am saying, that if you feel the need to talk about it, then—"

"I-I don't," said Draco.

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at him again and Draco stared right back at him, being careful not to blink so he wouldn't think he was bluffing.

"If that's what you wish," said Dumbledore finally. "Just know that I am available, should you desire to—"

"I won't," said Draco quickly. "B-but thanks."

"Alright," said Dumbledore, looking thoroughly unconvinced and admittedly a little hurt. He suddenly leaned forward. "Aren't you going to ask me anything tonight, Draco?"

Draco frowned at him, and then when Dumbledore raised his eyebrows again, it clicked.

"Right!" he cried, pulling the deluminator from out of his pocket and placing it on the table before him. "So, I'm saying thanks again, for the gift. It was really...thoughtful. But I'm still having a hard time figuring out what it does."

Dumbledore smiled softly, looking down at the device and then looking back at Draco.

"I'm curious as to your thoughts," he admitted.

Draco opened his mouth and then closed it again.

"What do _you_ think it does?" Dumbledore pressed.

Draco looked down at the device himself. "I dunno...I mean...I honestly have no clue."

"Think a little harder."

"Professor, can't you just tell me?"

"Now what good would that do?"

"It'd save me a lot of trouble and thinking."

"But this is much more fun."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You're real annoying sometimes, you know that, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "It's one of my many attractive qualities, I've been told."

Draco sighed again, looking down at the device. "I dunno! I mean, you could at least give me a clue!"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows again. "But haven't I already?"

"Huh?"

"The note, Draco. You're obviously forgetting about the note that was attached to the gift."

Draco swallowed. It was true. He had completely forgotten about the note and whatever Dumbledore had written inside it.

Dumbledore smiled again. "I sense, however, that that was not the thing you wanted to tell me."

"Wh...how do you mean?"

"Well, it's just a feeling, I'm an old man, I can be quite mistaken...but I do sense that there is something else you want to talk to me about...? Something confusing, possibly?"

Draco thought for a minute, his mind wandering to the drawer by his bed in the dormitory upstairs, where a black book was burning into the wood, just waiting for him to open it and write in it again, as he had been doing for two weeks now.

He thought about the death eater meeting that he'd almost walked in on at the wedding, and that sick feeling he'd felt in his stomach when he'd personally witnessed Regulus joining those...vultures...

He met Dumbledore's eyes again, which were looking back at him expectedly.

"No sir," he finally said. "Nothing."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at him through those half-moon spectacles and then, after a _long_ silence, nodded.

"Very well then," he said. "If that is all that should be discussed at this time, let us then continue on with what our lesson will be."

"Yes please," said Draco, sitting up, his wand at the ready.

"Oh you won't be needing that tonight," Dumbledore said without looking at it twice. "The next form of magic that I am going to be teaching you is far more complicated than a simple incantation. It requires a lot more concentration than merely searching your mind for memories or happy thoughts." Draco frowned, fearing the worst. "Have you ever heard of fiendfyre, Draco?"

Draco stared at him for a long time, trying to process the absurdity of what he had just said to him. Never, not in a million years, would Draco have ever imagined that Albus Dumbledore would offer to teach him such a dark form of magic. Legilimency was one thing. It was the opposite of Occlumency, which he already knew, so there was every reason for him to learn it as well. But this...

"Um, w-why do you ask?" he finally managed.

Dumbledore leaned forward and placed both his hands on the table. "I imagine you already know my answer."

"I mean, y-yeah I've heard of it but I've never done it—"

"Good, then we can start with a blank page."

Draco stared at him. "But...why _this?"_

Dumbledore frowned again. "It is a dark type of magic, that is true. But it is also foolproof against all items of dark magic discovered thus far."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that you and I do not know what the future holds. Not at this time, we don't. And, quite frankly, I do not see anything wrong with teaching you, under careful supervision of course, the absolute method for destroying dark items...or people."

"Well the killing curse is unblockable though—"

"And I should hope you would never have to use it."

"—oh but _fiendfyre_ you would allow?"

Dumbledore paused. "I am going to teach you to harness the dark. Harness it, but not let it overcome you. The killing curse is quite different, in that there is no way to avoid it overcoming you. Once you have killed, your soul is incomplete and the damage is done. Piecing together a soul is not impossible, I imagine, but it is extremely difficult and definitely unheard of." He paused again to look at Draco and tilted his head slightly. "If you are not comfortable with this new topic I am introducing to our lessons, then—"

"No professor, that's not it!" Draco said quickly. "I just...I just don't understand why..."

"I have already told you why," said Dumbledore, still calmly. "We do not know what the future holds."

"But we do!" Draco blurted out. "I mean, _I_ do! And if you'd just let me tell you, then you would too! And you'd realize that teaching me this is not necessary, b-but taking other steps might be."

"I already told you that the less I know, the better."

"But why?"

"Because if you tell me things, it is equivalent to me cheating my way through life, knowing exactly how each move I make could and would backfire against me, against others..." Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I do not want to be responsible for what could—"

"But _what_ could happen?! Other than you being prepared ahead of time and being able to help me prevent bad things from happening at all?"

"You can't mess with the universe like that, Draco," Dumbledore said, sighing deeply. "Time travel is a tricky thing. That is why even the most able wizards try to avoid doing it. I do not encourage you to meddle with too many things. Yes, you have been granted this second chance at life and you should seize every moment of it and live it to the fullest. That is true. But I do not want you feeling like it is your responsibility to change every little thing you deem necessary...every thing you thought went wrong in your timeline. It is not up to you to save everyone here, Draco. Only we ourselves can do that."

"So that's why you don't want me to tell you things?" Draco concluded. "You don't want the responsibility?"

"Oh Draco," Dumbledore sighed. "I already carry the responsibility. Don't you know that by now?"

Draco didn't know what to say to that so he just looked away from Dumbledore, his eyes instead landing on the bird perched up on his dusty old dresser with books toppling out of it.

"The universe will punish you if you take it too far, and I do not want to see that happen to you," Dumbledore concluded.

Draco looked back at him. "Do you honestly believe that sort of thing?"

"Every man is entitled to his own opinion, is he not?" Dumbledore shrugged.

"Y-yeah, I suppose," said Draco, unsure.

"Just think about that," Dumbledore said to him. "And as for the lessons?"

"Um," said Draco, looking back at Fawkes, who blinked at him. "Yeah, I'm on board. I still don't get why, but I want to learn."

"Good," said Dumbledore, smiling pleasantly. "We'll start next weekend."

"Wait, why not today?"

"You've had a long week, I merely wanted to talk today." He started to get up.

"What, but that's it?" said Draco, standing with him.

Dumbledore cocked an eyebrow at him. "Unless there was something else you wanted to talk about...?"

"No, it's fine," Draco said quickly, allowing him to escort him to the office door.

"Alright then," said Dumbledore, not buying it for a second. "Well, I hope you have a good week and I'll see you back here next Saturday."

"Will do, night, professor."

Draco hurried out of the room and practically ran down the hall so as to avoid any more confrontations with Dumbledore. Once he was in the safety of Gryffindor Tower, he stopped to catch his breath and leaned against the wall. He had no idea why he felt panic rising inside of him now, but he wasn't comforted at all. He was appalled at the idea that Dumbledore would teach him something so dark. How could he possibly know that something wouldn't go wrong along the way? That he, Draco, wouldn't turn dark himself?

This was dangerous stuff they were meddling with—he knew it in his heart. But then why had he agreed?

"What are you still doing up?" he asked once he came through the portrait hole and found James sitting by himself near the fireplace, scribbling in a notebook.

"Couldn't sleep," James shrugged unconvincingly. "How was the lesson?"

"It was...are you actually doing _homework?"_

Draco sat down across from him and frowned at the notebook.

"Maybe," said James, smirking. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yeah, it actually is," Draco admitted. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I just wanna do well on these assignments, that's all," James mumbled. "I mean, I dislike learning and everything, but I also don't want to stay at Hogwarts for the rest of my life, you know what I mean? Even if I love it here."

"What are you thinking of pursuing later on?"

"I dunno...Sirius and I talked about a couple of things but haven't really decided."

"But what would sound good?"

James looked up at Draco and smirked. "Auror studies, of course."

Draco smirked back.

"So um, the lesson went well then?"

"Yeah, it was okay, it wasn't really a lesson to be honest," Draco mumbled.

"No?"

"Nah, Dumbledore just wanted to check up on me. You know, see how I'm doing and everything now that..."

"...now that you're back at Hogwarts," James finished for him, nodding. "Yeah, I mean I've only ever met Sirius's parents once and even then they didn't like me. And to be fair, I didn't like them much myself. But hearing him talk about them over the years, about how they've treated him and all...well, I can only imagine..."

"They're just as bad when you spend two weeks at their house," Draco concluded.

"Figured," said James, nodding. "Are you okay though?"

"Totally," said Draco. "I told them everything they wanted to hear. You know, so that the elf wouldn't kill me in my sleep or something of the sort."

James laughed. "Sirius absolutely loathes that elf."

"Yeah and it shows," Draco laughed. He then grew serious again. "But why are you asking me this now?"

"I dunno," James mumbled. "I guess...I realized that I never really did, you know? We weren't speaking much and we didn't exactly send letters so..."

"Yeah but whose fault was that?"

James made a face.

"Oh come on, you know it's true!" cried Draco. "If you had just come to talk to me then all of this could've been avoided and you know it."

"Yeah well," James mumbled, looking down at his lap, "Everyone is entitled to a little processing time before they confront an issue, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose," said Draco.

James looked around the common room. "Hey do you think Peter really did hook up over the break?"

"Doubt it," laughed Draco. James laughed too.

"But it's best we don't say anything on the matter," Draco added momentarily.

"Yeah, I agree, I just wish he wouldn't feel the need to lie to us about dumb stuff like that," James said. "There's no shame in being a virgin at sixteen."

"I agree. There's far more shame in being a male whore at sixteen."

"Technically, Sirius is seventeen, so therefore he is a male whore of age," said James.

They both laughed again. Then, James closed up his notebook. "So you coming up?"

"Nah, I think I'll stay a while," said Draco as James got to his feet and packed up the rest of his things.

"You sure?" his friend asked.

"Yeah, go on. I'll be up in a bit." James narrowed his eyes at him and Draco smiled. "I wanna meditate, that's all."

"Oh okay," said James quickly. "Yeah, do that. Don't want to be forgetting about your animagus."

"Trust me, I'm not."

He patted him on the back as he passed him and hurried up the spiral staircase. Once he was gone, Draco lit up a few candles in the room and sat cross-legged by the fireplace. It wasn't the same with James, that was true. But it was definitely familiar. And right now, at this point in his life, Draco could use all the familiarity he could get.

He knew that much at least.

* * *

 **What do you guys think...are Draco and James done fighting?**


	35. Things Derailed

**Author's Note:** **Enjoy, and as always, we love to hear from you guys and what you look forward to the most. . .**

 **Disclaimer:** **Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 35: THINGS DERAILED

 _Draco Black,_

 _We very gratefully acknowledge your kind expressions of celebration and your presence on the day we chose to finalise our marriage. We were thrilled to have you with us at Malfoy Manor and are hopeful for your return for future merriments._

 _Hoping you are well,_

 _Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Malfoy_

Draco ran his fingers along the creamy paper with the beautiful cursive handwriting inscribed on the front. His heart was beating so fast now, he found it amazing that none of the owls had freaked out from the noise of it. He hadn't expected mail from anyone, this was true. But when he woke early that morning from the tapping of an owl at his window, he knew it was going to be something interesting.

Standing there in the owlry now, with a sweater over his pajamas, Draco frowned down at the letter and bit hard on his lip. It was the last thing he'd expected. He didn't even know how to feel, reading this letter...thank-you note...whatever it was. Here his parents were, writing letters to him, without even knowing who he truly was...why it was difficult for him to talk with them...and how he felt, knowing he couldn't say anything real to them.

But the part that was truly messing up his mind now, the part that made his hands sweaty, was where they subtly wrote that they are "hopeful for his return for future merriments". He bloody well knew what that meant. It meant that seeing him at their wedding had sparked newfound curiosity and they would now stop at nothing to further investigate him...figure out who he truly was and what his real agenda was. Even Draco didn't know what his agenda was, but something told him it wouldn't take long for his father to figure it out.

If he was being really honest with himself, he was at fault for assuming otherwise...that they would just drop it. _Of course_ they'd want him to come back. _Of course_ they'd want to interrogate him. If Bellatrix did, why shouldn't his own parents? They were still the same people he knew back in his old timeline—the same two people who had bloody raised him. Different versions of them, sure, but still the very same. How the hell was he supposed to stand up to them?

When he got back from the owlry, his mind all clouded over and his hands and feet freezing, the marauders were already up and getting ready to head out for breakfast. Peter was the only one who seemed to notice how ghostly Draco looked, but Draco shook his head at him and followed the boys to the Great Hall. He'd hardly slept the night before, what with his meditation taking up a great deal of time, though still he found himself fully alert.

Alert, and in fact, highly motivated to do some more meditating. He was really feeling the shape forming itself into one with his own and felt an _urgency_ at this point to just keep pursuing it. And so, right after breakfast, he hurried back to the dormitory and did just that. The boys were surprised at his hurry but once they realized what he was doing, they let him be. Sirius was more persistent than the others, claiming that he didn't want anyone disturbing Draco because it was about time he earned his transformation already.

At around lunchtime however, Draco grew bored with the meditations and was already developing a light headache. Having had enough for one weekend, he decided to put it behind him and join the boys downstairs. Remus had them all doing homework, but as soon as Draco showed up, they put everything away and got out the games instead.

He was happy to just spend some time with them, hanging out and not doing anything that required too much energy. As long as he didn't have to use his brain, he was all set. And card games seemed to be the way to go.

He managed to put the letter from the Malfoys at the back of his mind and not think about it for the rest of the weekend, as it lay tucked away in his bedside table up in the dormitory. But by Monday morning, it resurfaced in his mind and he sat there, picking at his cereal bowl, sleep deprived once again and frowning.

"You okay there?" James asked, watching him.

Draco looked up.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Fine."

"You look a lot like Remus, you know, after a moon...?" Sirius pointed out.

Remus gave him a dark look and Peter looked around the Gryffindor table, hoping no one had overheard Sirius, for Remus's sake.

"I'm fine," Draco repeated. "Just tired, that's all."

"Take a nap after fourth period," Peter suggested.

"Not a bad idea," Sirius added.

"Nah, I'll be okay," Draco said, pushing his untouched cereal bowl away. "And anyway, I wanna meditate after class until dinner."

"What—are you crazy?" said Remus suddenly. "You're gonna overwork yourself with that. What's the rush, anyway?'

The boys all fell silent. Remus looked from one to another, outraged.

"What?" he repeated.

"We kind of want Draco ready to join us for your next moon," Sirius said quietly.

"Seriously?" said Remus, staring at him and then at Draco. "Is that what you really want?"

"Well yeah, it's kind of the whole point of why I'm doing this in the first place," Draco said, shrugging.

"But it's dangerous," Remus began, but the boys were no longer listening to him as they stood up and started exiting the Great Hall, their book bags at their shoulders and tired looks on their faces.

Monday morning. Brilliant.

On the whole, it wasn't too bad a day. Busy for sure, and definitely full of more homework loads, but not terrible. By fourth period, Draco's headache had subsided slightly and he was feeling much better and ready to meet Severus. When he met him however, it didn't take long for his headache to start up again. And Severus was largely to blame for this...

"What did you get for this one?" he asked as he underlined one of the test questions in his Dark Arts book from Claybrook's class.

"I put option C," Draco said after a brief glance.

"But couldn't it also be option D?" said Severus, frowning at his book.

"Nah, it couldn't be," said Draco at once.

"Yeah it could," said Severus. "Don't you remember Claybrook saying—"

"Sev, I'm tellin' you, it couldn't," said Draco. He sat up and reached for one of the books in Severus's pile. "Here, I'll—"

"No Draco, don't!"

The pile toppled down like a smashed sandcastle and Draco frowned at Severus before his eyes fell on the title of one of his books. He picked it up in his hands and examined it for a few seconds before his eyes fell on Severus again.

 _"Apparition?"_ he said heatedly. "I thought I told you to stop with that! It's dangerous stuff!"

"Calm down, it's not a big deal," said Severus, grabbing the book from him, which Draco pulled away instantly.

"No, Sev! You...you can't! You don't understand the deprecations and...just the overall consequences of your actions...of how badly this could end..."

"That's just a little dramatic, don't you think?" said Severus, finally grabbing the book from Draco's hands and burying it back in his pile, which he was now fixing.

"But..."

"Look Draco, I'm a grown person. I'll deal with it, okay?"

"But Sev!"

"Nose down, Draco."

Draco sighed in frustration. There was just no winning with this one.

"Fine," he mumbled, making a mental note to bring up the issue again. And soon, too.

They continued with their Defense homework like nothing happened, and when they were done with that, they moved on to Potions—Severus's area of expertise. Draco pulled out his copy of the Half Blood Prince's book and was pleasantly surprised at how much quicker he got his homework done. He was definitely grateful to Severus for this amazing gift, even if he was being an annoying prat today.

"So how's _Magick Moste Evile?"_ Severus asked casually after a while.

Draco rolled his eyes. "And speaking of Regulus," he said, "Has he said anything to you?"

"About what?"

"You know...stuff..."

Severus looked up from the notebook he was writing in and gave Draco a frown. "What in particular?"

Draco shrugged as best as he could without looking too suspicious. "Just wondering I guess, whether or not he has anything going on in his life right now...like besides school..."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"I hardly see him when we're at school. We're not exactly in the same house, if you haven't noticed."

 _"We_ aren't in the same house either," Severus pointed out.

"Yeah but we're in the same year," said Draco. "And I can't exactly force Regulus into our sixth year classes when he hasn't even done his OWLs, now can I?"

Severus chuckled. "Well what about the weekends?"

"I spend most of my weekends with the guys..." Draco said, before his voice trailed off.

"You mean _Potter..."_ said Severus, disgust on his face.

"Whatever Sev, at least he's not Mulciber," said Draco.

"I don't hang out with Mulciber much."

"And I don't hang out with James much."

Severus rolled his eyes and shook his head at Draco, busying himself with his book again.

Draco laughed. He could do this all day.

"So...Regulus?" he finally said after another moment of silence.

"I dunno, he's fine in my opinion," Severus said, looking tired and annoyed. "Why are you asking?"

"I just worry about the kid."

"What for?"

Draco bit down on his lip again. If Severus wasn't understanding this, then that had to mean he didn't know anything about Regulus' private little meetings with Voldemort and his precious death eaters. Logically, if he'd known, he wouldn't be so surprised at Draco's concern for the kid now.

. . . would he?

As the week passed, Draco noticed several things—distinct little differences about the way this term was going so far. Aside from the increase in workloads from each and every subject, the freezing cold and never-ending snow, and the perpetual nervous energy around the school regarding anything war-related, Draco also noticed something even greater. Each of the marauders was acting strangely kind to one another and even laying off some of the usual jokes. It wasn't so much that they had grown bored with them as it was them simply making greater effort to just be there for each other where it mattered.

Remus, as usual, was more than willing to help out each of the boys with notes for classes and test questions for studying. Sirius was reminding everyone of everything they kept forgetting because they were all so on edge and preoccupied. James was offering kind words of encouragement and support, letting each of his friends know that whatever they were struggling with, they'd overcome, whether it be an upcoming quiz or incapability to get up in the early hours of the morning and actually learn something. And Peter was trying to make the boys laugh more so than usual.

It was distinct, very subtle, but still there. And Draco wasn't the only one who noticed.

On Wednesday, after Potions, Draco was on his way to Gryffindor Tower with the guys when he spotted Regulus sitting by himself on the stairs in the Entrance Hall. He instantly walked over to sit with him, and the boys, exchanging glances, let him be.

"Hey," Regulus said, closing up his book and smiling at Draco. He looked pleased to see him.

"What you reading?" Draco asked, trying to catch the cover of the book in Regulus's lap.

"Oh it's just something on potions and other substances," said Regulus. "How have you been?"

"Fine, just busy with homework and stuff," said Draco, reaching for the book. "Can I?"

"Yeah," Regulus handed him the book and leaned back against the stair railing. Draco flipped open the book.

"Are you looking into pursuing something potions-related?" Draco asked as he flipped through the pages.

"Who knows," Regulus mumbled. "Right now I'm just trying to keep my grades up and not fall behind again. OWLs are coming up, you know. Lots to do."

"Yeah, I'll bet..." Draco's voice trailed off as he flipped to a random page inside which was tucked a letter.

He pulled it out and unfolded it.

 _Regulus Black,_

 _We very gratefully acknowledge your kind expressions of celebration and your presence on the day we chose to finalise our marriage. We were thrilled to have you with us at Malfoy Manor and are hopeful for your return for future merriments._

 _Hoping you are well,_

 _Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Malfoy_

Draco looked up at Regulus. "You...you got one too?"

"Yeah mate, everyone did," said Regulus, taking it from him and shoving it in his bag. "What, you thought you were the only one?"

"I...wait so like...Rosier and Nott too?"

"Yeah, everyone." Regulus paused. "Why are you so weirded out? It's called a thank-you note. Haven't you ever heard of one?"

"Yeah but like...they're all identical then..." Draco mumbled.

Regulus shrugged. "It's a spell." He looked at Draco again and frowned, then rolled his eyes. "Well come on, you saw yourself, lots of people showed up at that wedding. Do you honestly believe the Malfoys have time to write individual notes to each and every guest?"

"I...I guess not..." said Draco.

Regulus packed up his things and stood up. "I gotta go. I'll see you later."

He walked off.

"See ya," Draco mumbled, still sitting on the stairs.

He didn't know why he felt numb after his conversation with Regulus. He'd honestly thought he'd feel better, knowing that the Malfoys hadn't taken any particular interest in him—that they'd sent the exact same letter with the exact same wording to every guest. Yet here he was, sulking on the stairs, feeling disappointed that they hadn't changed his letter a little bit...even just one or two words. It was already bad enough that his own parents didn't recognize him. Was this really that much to ask for?

On Thursday, during a work period in Muggle Studies, Draco noticed James acting astoundingly different. He wasn't as laid back and relaxed as usual. In fact, he was extremely focused on the lesson and more than determined to get his work done. When Draco asked him about it at lunch, James only shrugged and said he was just trying to actually do well in school for once.

"It's Lily," Sirius said as soon as Draco brought it up to him in private. "It has to be."

"You think?"

"Trust me."

They were walking along the corridor on their way to the pitch for James's last-minute-called meeting for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"I've known James a long time and if he's suddenly smartening up and leaving his youthful days behind him, then he means business."

"Yeah but does that have to mean changing everything about yourself? I mean, isn't that kind of wrong?"

"Not if that's what he wants."

"Or what he _thinks_ he wants," Draco mumbled.

Sirius looked at him with a frown. "You sure you're okay with this? Him going after her?"

"What—yeah of course!" Draco said quickly. "I'm just saying, it's a bit unfair...you know, for him to be making all these changes just for her sake. Like, what does he get out of this?"

"Her, hopefully," said Sirius simply, starting to walk again.

Draco didn't know what to say to that so he just resorted to saying nothing at all. He bundled his scarf up around him as he and Sirius reached the front doors and exited the castle. They were instantly met with a rush of freezing wind and snow blowing right in their faces.

"Why are we meeting way the hell out here?!" Sirius shouted over the wind as he led the way across the courtyard to the bridge.

Draco only followed him, his entire body freezing up from the cold. James was a lot of things, but this was taking it one step too far. They finally reached the pitch, where the other team players were all huddled, shivering and waiting as James continued with his speech. He gave Sirius and Draco a nod of acknowledgement at their arrival and continued.

"We're going to have to really step up our game and work harder than ever if we want a shot at the Quidditch Cup. Losing that last game put us in a bit of a tight spot, but it's nothing we can't fix with a little hard work. So here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna meet in the common room every Monday night for strategy talks, and then we're gonna meet out here every Thursday evening for a team practice. Closer to the day, we'll extend it to three times a week..."

The team members continued to shiver as they stood, listening to what James was saying, probably none of them wanting to be out in the snow at the moment. Frank met Draco's eyes briefly and gave him a nod, which Draco reciprocated. He stood there, wondering why he was even needed at the meeting. James seemed to have things all under control and Draco wasn't even an official player. He would much rather be inside, in the warmth of the common room, sipping tea by the fireplace and reading some book, or simply just resting. Remus and Peter had no idea how lucky they were.

The next day, finally Friday, Draco's headache seemed to have gone away completely and he wasn't feeling as tired. Classes weren't even a burden and the day seemed to pass by fairly quickly. Draco saw Severus briefly and even spotted Regulus and waved at him. But for the most part, he spent the day with the marauders, simply enjoying the fact that he and James were back to normal and that everything was fine.

At suppertime however, when the boys just sat down and started getting their plates ready, Lucinda, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, walked over to them in the Great Hall, with two other players on her sides.

"May we help you?" Frank asked, being the first to notice. James looked up from his plate and stared at the girl.

"Captain?" she said.

"Here," said James.

She folded her arms in front of her. "It has come to my attention that you are not following all rules established for Hogwarts Quidditch."

"No?"

"No."

James looked round at Sirius, who shrugged, and then back at the girl. "And exactly which rule do you speak of?"

"The one that clearly states you are only allowed seven players on a team," said Lucinda.

James raised his eyebrows and looked around the table at all his teammates, who were now looking very curious. "Am I missing something?"

"So Black here is not an official member then?" the girl gestured at Draco and he looked at James.

"No," James said, his eyes on his friend. "He is not an official member."

"I beg to differ," said Lucinda, turning his attention back to her. "Several of my teammates, as well as many other Hogwarts students, have spotted him joining all of you for practices and team meetings." She glared at Draco once before turning back to James. "And, if I recall correctly, he played one game earlier this year..."

James looked to Draco again, not saying anything but looking like he wanted to apologize to him for what he was about to say to Lucinda. He turned back to her and cleared his throat.

"You have a problem with how we do things over here in Gryffindor? Take it up with the headmaster."

Lucinda's two players exchanged looks of surprise, but she only smirked and leaned forward. "I just might," she promised, moving away from the Gryffindor table.

Draco started to protest but James stopped him at once.

"As long as I'm captain of this team, I'll decide how things are done," he declared. "If she's got a problem, she can talk to Dumbledore. I'll be more than happy to explain it to him."

"But—"

Sirius put a hand on Draco's shoulder and Draco looked at him.

"Trust him," he whispered, gesturing at James, who was now busying himself with the _Daily Prophet._ Remus looked over his shoulder at the Slytherin table, where Regulus was sitting with his team, looking regretful

"There's nothing they can do about this," he said, turning to James, "...is there?"

"I'll handle it," James said.

The boys said nothing.

They spent the evening hanging out in the common room, which Draco was more than fine with. It seemed to be packed that night, with Gryffindors exhausted from the week's stresses and excited for the weekend ahead. Hardly anybody seemed to be studying. Even Remus was sitting in a corner, reading some book that Draco doubted was assigned reading because he was smiling into it. Draco sat on the carpet and watched Peter play Wizard's Chess with Sirius until James pulled Sirius away for something seventh-year related. Peter wasted no time in hurrying after them to see what it was about. Meanwhile, Draco sat back on his favourite couch near the fireplace and let his eyes shut. He hadn't realized just how tired he really was until now. Everyone in the common room seemed so relaxed, it was making him even more sleepy. Then he remembered the note he'd been looking at earlier and pulled it out from his pocket. He squinted down at it under the candlelight, frowning.

 _Pointing to another world will never stop vice among us; shedding light over this world can alone help us._

He had no idea what meaning he was supposed to take from this—what Dumbledore meant when he said that Draco wasn't paying enough attention to the note as he was to the gift itself. How the hell did this quote even relate to that Deluminator? It was all so confusing, he could feel his headache coming back just from thinking about it.

And what on earth was Dumbledore thinking, teaching Draco _fiendfyre_ of all things?! If he was going down this route, he might as well teach Draco how to properly perform the three unforgivable curses. It was like he didn't know Dumbledore _at all_ at this point. Sure, he'd hardly known him back in his own timeline, and he'd definitely gotten to know this Dumbledore a lot better than that one. This Dumbledore was far more carefree and risk-taking than that one. Perhaps Dumbledore had gained all his caution and wisdom after the war, when Voldemort had met his temporary demise. Maybe that was what it took for him to realize what he was truly up against...

"You look tired," said Frank, taking a seat next to him, with Alice at his side.

Draco sat up quickly and smiled, putting the piece of paper away. "Yeah, kind of..."

"How are you?" Alice asked. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"I'm okay," said Draco, nodding along. "Just busy, you know..."

"How were your holidays?" Frank asked. "Didn't get a chance to talk to you earlier—it was way too cold out there."

"Yeah," laughed Draco. "Um, they were fine. You know, I just...spent time with Regulus and...met lots of relatives..."

"We saw the picture in the _Daily Prophet_ from the Malfoy wedding," said Alice. "That must've been nice, meeting all those people..."

"It was okay," Draco shrugged. "Kinda overwhelming. There were so many people there."

"Yeah, I can imagine," said Frank. "Are you glad you went though?"

Draco looked up at him and Alice, smiling back at him like the two true friends he'd never thought he'd have.

"Yeah," he finally answered, smiling back. "Yeah, I am."

He started to say something else when his voice trailed off at the sight of Lily crawling through the portrait hole, looking tired and beat. She stood there, scanning the packed common room. Her eyes landed on Draco briefly and she offered a smile. He quickly glanced at James, who was busy with Sirius and a couple of other guys, and hadn't even noticed Lily's arrival. Then, Draco turned back to Frank and Alice and cleared his throat.

"You know what, guys, I'm gonna call it a night."

"You sure?" said Frank, looking surprised as Draco started to stand up and stretch.

"Yeah, I'm just really tired," Draco mumbled. "I'll see you guys later."

"See you later," Alice offered.

He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and waved at Frank. Then, he shifted on about the common room, dodging laughing people and trying his best to disappear without anybody noticing. But it was when he'd reached the top of the stairs that he finally turned to see Lily, still standing in the same spot, watching him with hurt in her eyes.

Finally, in the safety of his dormitory, he sat on his bed and pulled the curtains over it. He shivered slightly from the cold, and a few seconds later decided to pull on another sweater over the one he was already wearing. Then he sighed deeply and lit his wand before pulling out the Tom Riddle notebook from inside his bedside table. He stopped to listen for a second before opening it and pulling out a quill and ink bottle.

 _It's Draco again. So I've been back at Hogwarts for about two weeks now and you still haven't answered any of my questions._

His letters disappeared into the notebook, just like they did every time, and just like every time, Draco stared, amazed at how well this mysterious magic worked. Then, that perfect handwriting appeared again.

 _All in good time. How have classes been?_

 _Busy,_ Draco responded. _I've barely had time to myself, let alone to do more research on that thing we talked about last time._

 _And how is your animagus transformation going, Draco?_

 _I'm almost there I think,_ Draco wrote. _It won't be long now, I'm sure. Just a couple more meditations perhaps and I'll finally be ready to perform it._

Draco waited several minutes after that last sentence disappeared. The notebook did this every time, as though it had its own mind and was able to think...as though it was deciding what to say next. It was strange. He'd never come across such confusing magic before, and was very intrigued by it.

 _I find it fairly admirable that you have chosen to challenge yourself with such an advanced form of magic and at such a young age too. Tom Riddle was passionately driven, very much like yourself, when he was at Hogwarts as well. But he never attempted anything like this. Not while he was with me, that is. I can't say much for life after Hogwarts, seeing as how he stopped writing in me shortly after graduating._

Draco thought about this for a minute, trying for the life of him to remember when he'd had the time to tell the notebook his age. He couldn't remember much of Grimmauld Place, now that he thought about it. It had been such a stressful time that now it seemed like so long ago, yet it had only been two weeks. Perhaps he was far more sleep deprived than he'd thought.

More importantly though, he was just aching to figure out how this notebook ended up at Malfoy Manor, but doubted that asking it would give him the answer. It was a book. It didn't know anything other than what was written inside it. Then, it occurred to him.

 _Had anyone ever written in you after Tom?_

He didn't have to wait long before the word _No_ appeared right at the center of the page. He was about to write his next question when more letters appeared on the notebook. He squinted down at them with his wand light pointed directly at the center.

 _Did you ever meet Tom?_

Draco paused. Why was it asking him this?

 _Yeah, I have. But an adult version of him only. I never knew Tom as a young wizard._

The notebook quickly responded. _I only ask because I am curious as to how much time has passed since Tom last wrote in me. If you say you know him as an adult, I reckon it has been years._

Draco bit down on his lip before responding, _It is the year 1977 now._

He quickly calculated it in his head and assumed that over thirty years must've passed.

 _A long time,_ the notebook finally responded. _And how did you come to obtain me then? Did Tom hand me to you personally?_

 _I found you,_ Draco wrote. _I was at a wedding and I wandered the house and found you in a pile of clutter that was gathering dust. It seemed like no one knew you existed. Or maybe somewhere along the way, Tom lost you._

 _Whose wedding?_

This time, Draco hesitated. The conversation was steering in his direction again, as it always did. The notebook seemed to have a habit of asking him personal questions, whereas his only real interest was finding out more about what Voldemort had wanted with this diary. Or why he'd kept it at all...

 _Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy,_ he finally answered. _Do you know them?_

 _Names do not ring any bells, no. The only people Tom ever talked to me about were people he knew at Hogwarts. I am assuming then that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy never attended Hogwarts? Perhaps Tom became acquainted with them in his adult life, thus landing me in their household._

Draco thought for a minute.

 _I wouldn't know. They did attend, but years after. They only graduated a few years ago. I was wondering the same thing actually. I wanted to know how you ended up in their house._

 _I suppose it shall remain a mystery for both of us,_ were the last words the notebook wrote before the dormitory door opened and the marauders filed inside. Draco shut the notebook quickly and shoved it under his pillow. Then, Sirius pulled open his hangings.

"Hey what are you doing?" he asked, looking confused.

"Just sittin'," said Draco, who leaned back against his pillow to safeguard the notebook.

"We thought you'd be asleep by now," said Remus. "You looked so tired. You know, you could use the rest."

He moved to sit on his own bed and crossed his legs. James and Peter were on the window ledge and Sirius sat at the edge of Draco's bed.

"Yeah, I will," Draco promised. "You guys going to bed too?"

"Thought we would, but seeing as how you're up..." said Sirius, smirking at him before pulling out a deck of cards.

Draco hesitated, then nodded at him.

"Yesssss," said Sirius, hopping off the bed and moving to sit on the floor. The other boys joined him quickly and he began to deal them.

It was the perfect start to a long-awaited weekend. It had been such a tiring week, Draco could hardly believe he'd made it. And sitting here with his friends, playing cards late at night...he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Still though, that strange feeling from before was creeping over them now. And Draco wasn't the only one who felt it. Each of the boys could sense that something was off. Even as they played cards and laughed and cracked jokes and talked about how much fun Hogsmeade would be tomorrow, they could feel it...that strange cold wind that clouds over just before a really big storm hits.

It was just waiting to take over them.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


	36. Tangles of Distraught

**Author's Note : Hey guys, as you're reading this chapter just please try to give Lily some space and some understanding. The heart wants what it wants, we all know that. **

**Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 36: TANGLES OF DISTRAUGHT

"We're kind of in the middle of something here," Draco said, looking round at the guys who were all huddled together, confused expressions on their faces. He turned back to Lily. "Can't we do this later?"

"No, we can't," she responded in the same serious tone. "I need to speak with you and I need to speak with you _now."_

Draco swallowed his next words whole and turned back to James, who was shivering against the snow flying everywhere.

"I suppose we'll just…meet you at the Three Broomsticks then…" said Remus to Draco against the awkward silence.

"Yeah, t-that sounds good," said Peter.

"Come on, Jamesy, let's walk," said Sirius, pulling his friend away (with force, too).

Draco stared after them, wishing he could be anyone else other than himself at that moment. Lily waited, arms crossed. When his friends had finally gone, he turned back to her and she gestured for him to follow her. They fought their way through the snow and made it up to the top of the village, with Draco all the while following from behind. Lily finally led him into the owlry where she opened the gate to find two seventh-year Hufflepuffs making out on a bench. They jumped at the sight of her and she sighed deeply.

"Get out," she told them, her voice tired but firm.

They glanced awkwardly at each other and hurried out of the owlry. Draco frowned after them and then turned to Lily.

"Little harsh, don't you think?" he asked, but this statement was thoroughly ignored.

She unwrapped her scarf, which had been bundled up all around her throat, and tossed it on the bench. Then, she took another deep breath and folded her arms in front of her. She looked at Draco. He waited.

"Tell me, Draco, because I'm curious…" she began, "…did you honestly believe that you could treat me like this and I would just let it slide?"

"Huh?"

"We didn't like each other much before, fine. I accepted it. I tried to be your friend and from the very beginning you had your mind already set on hating me, so I gave up trying."

"I don't hate—"

"But things happened between us before the holidays," she interrupted, her tone bitter and cold. She looked at Draco with serious eyes. "Drunken or not, they still happened."

"I know they did…"

Lily closed her eyes and sucked in her breath. "Then how _dare_ you treat me this way after a night like that?"

"I don't know—"

"Walking out of rooms when I arrive," she said, pushing him slightly, "…looking the other way when you see me," another push, "…avoiding saying my name or talking to me about anything casual even—how _dare_ you!"

"What are you—"

"I did _nothing_ to you!" she suddenly shouted. "I do _not_ deserve to be treated this way! You can't just use me like some toy that you play around with and then throw out once you've gotten bored with it. I am _not_ that kind of girl!"

"Wait but I never thought you were!"

"Then what the _fuck_ is up with how you're treating me?!" Draco stared at her, not knowing what to say, and she proceeded to shout, not caring as she continuously gave him weak shoves that practically backed him up against a wall. "How is this fair to me?! Why can't you just be decent to me?! How come Alice gets treated better than I do? Or what about Mary? What about—"

"Lily, I—"

"You can't fucking punish me for how I feel!" Draco swallowed nervously as her eyes filled with tears and her voice started to break. "You…you can't begin to understand how spiteful that is! Why would you want to hurt me like that? How can you be so cruel a-and act like it doesn't matter—it _does_ matter! It…I…"

"Okay, okay, okay," Draco said, suddenly pulling her closer to him and wrapping his arms tightly around her. She breathed deeply into his chest, trying hard to compose herself and stop the tears.

"Shhhhh," Draco said, running his hand gently down the back of her head and simply holding her, giving her a chance to let it all out. "There now…"

They stood like that for what felt like a long time, the various owls around them hooting occasionally and giving them curious looks. Draco started to feel a bit awkward, the way she was holding onto him…as though no one had hugged her in years. He'd never done this with anyone before so he had no idea how long he had to stand there for or whether or not something needed to be said. It started to get cold too because he could feel Lily shivering against him. He gave a small cough, but she held on.

"You just swore at me twice," Draco finally pointed out, his voice soft.

"No I didn't," Lily mumbled into his chest.

"You so did," Draco laughed.

"Oh shut up," she said. Draco laughed nonetheless. She finally pulled away and he looked at her.

"I never thought I'd see the day when _you_ of all people would swear at me."

"There's a first for everything," Lily muttered, wiping some of her tears away. Draco grew serious again.

"I'm sorry," he said to her gently, finally realizing just how much he'd hurt her by all of this. Until now, his mind had only been filled with how it was affecting _him_ and _his_ friends, but never how it was affecting _her._

"I never wanted to hurt you," he promised, looking right into her eyes. "Of course that's not my intention."

"Then why?" she whispered.

"I…you can't understand it…" his voice trailed off as her expression changed and he sighed again. "I'm not good at this kind of stuff…"

"What, being friends?" Lily said in between hysterics and laughs.

"With you! Yes!" Draco cried. Lily pulled away from him slowly, a frown on her face.

"Look Lily, I'd like to be friends. I would. But it's not that simple!"

"Why not?"

"Because of James!" Draco yelled out. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing some of the snow off and bit on his lip. "Because…because of Severus!"

"They don't get to decide who I'm friends with," Lily whispered, shaking her head slowly.

"But _I_ get to decide who _I'm_ friends with," Draco said more calmly, now slipping his hands into his pockets. "And I've chosen to be their friend. Both of them." He took another deep breath. "And I can't just have friendship with you without jeopardizing friendship with them."

There was a pause.

"And that night?" Lily whispered without looking directly at him.

Draco thought for a minute. "That night was very enjoyable for myself, I won't deny that…" he lowered his voice to barely more than a whisper. "But it was a drunken mistake. And…and it can't happen again. You know that it can't."

Lily nodded, wiping some of her tears away. "No you're right…" she looked at him finally, "…it really can't."

"Are you okay?" Remus asked for the fourth time since they'd sat down.

Draco looked up from his untouched lunch plate. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You've hardly eaten," Peter pointed out.

The boys were sitting in a private booth at the Three Broomsticks. It was heavily snowing out and they each had hot drinks beside their plates. James was sitting with his arms crossed, having barely eaten too. Sirius was next to him, looking thoroughly annoyed about something, and Remus and Peter just looked mighty worried.

Suddenly, out of the blue, James leaned forward and Draco met his eyes instantly.

"I've gotta ask…" he said quietly.

Draco took a nervous breath. "She just wanted to talk, that's all."

"About what?"

The boys all looked at Draco. He thought for a minute. Did he really want to betray Lily after he'd already clearly hurt her? But then again, these _were_ his friends…

"She just wanted to make sure I wasn't mad at her or anything," he finally mumbled. It was true anyway.

"Why would she think you were mad at her?" James asked, frowning.

"I dunno," Draco shrugged, but James still waited for an answer, so he promptly added, "I guess I've been avoiding her…"

"But why?"

"Out of respect to you."

There was silence.

"I never asked you to do that," James finally said, all the boys watching him. They turned their heads back to Draco.

"I know," Draco said awkwardly, "But I also knew that it had to be done."

James did not say another word for the rest of lunch. After they'd finished, Sirius pulled them all into a sweets shop and instantly began to stock up. They bumped into several of their classmates in there and advised each other on which sweets to get. They spent most of the afternoon there, which was just as well, seeing as how it was snowing terribly out. Just about an hour before they'd decided to head back to the castle however, Regulus showed up.

"I was with Severus, we were just buying a couple of things," he explained when Draco had asked him what he was doing there.

The pair of them moved away from the crowd without anyone taking notice. Regulus leaned against a wall with his back and folded his arms in front of him.

"How are you doing, Drake? You didn't look so well the last time I saw you."

"I'm fine," Draco said, his own hands in his pockets. He then smirked. "And when did we lose the _o_ in my name?"

Regulus smirked back.

"How about you?" Draco asked. "How are classes going?"

"Pretty well," said Regulus casually. "The professors are grilling us though."

"Yeah, us too." Draco looked down at his feet. "Have you heard anything from your little friends from the wedding?"

It took a while for Regulus to respond, so Draco dared to look up at him and found his friend standing there, puzzled, arms no longer folded.

"Why are you asking me that?" he finally answered.

Draco managed a casual shrug. "Just curious…have they reached out to you since you got back?"

Regulus hesitated. "Well…yeah, I mean…one of them sent me a letter a couple of days ago."

"Huh," said Draco, looking at his feet again. "And what did it say?"

"Just stuff…" said Regulus, slightly offended. "Like…they were wishing me a good term and telling me to study well and good luck on the OWLs and all that…"

"Cool," Draco said, nearly choking on the word. He moved to stand by the wall just next to Regulus and observed his classmates in the shop.

James looked a little more enthused now and slightly better than he did during lunch. Sirius was showing him a packet of something apparently amusing because the pair of them were sniggering like idiots. And Remus was with Peter on the other side of the shop, seemingly arguing about something.

"How's your research going?" Regulus suddenly said, causing Draco to turn his head to look at him.

"What?"

"You know, with that book from the Malfoys'…any luck on figuring it out?"

"Oh," said Draco, looking away from him again. "Um it turned out to be somethin' stupid, wouldn't even bother with it anymore…"

"Shame, that," said Regulus with a sigh. "So you got rid of it then?"

"Mhm," said Draco, his eyes back on his friends.

"But you still have my book, yeah?"

Draco nodded. "I'll get it back to you soon. I'm still not done with it."

"What's this, Draco Black is intrigued by a _dark arts_ book?!" said Regulus, smirking. "I think something is happening to the universe."

"Shut up," Draco said, smirking back.

After Hogsmeade, the boys returned to their common room and sprawled on the carpet in front of the fireplace to keep warm. It was still storming out and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon, so any chances of a Quidditch practice were definitely out, much to James's chagrin. Still though, it was a fairly calm afternoon, which was all Draco could hope for. A couple of seventh-years in the common room decided it would be wise to open up a couple of newspapers, and thus instantly got into a heated debate regarding the war, the contents of which deeply frightened the eavesdropping younger Gryffindors.

Having had too much of it, Sirius rolled his eyes and cracked open a deck of cards again. James and Draco happily joined him for a game, while Peter snoozed on the couch nearby and Remus sat with him, at the same time catching up on some reading.

But soon, sooner than Draco had hoped, it was dinnertime. And then, just in the blink of an eye, dinner was over and it was time for him to bid farewell to the marauders and head on up to the headmaster's tower. It was with dread that he made the long journey up to Dumbledore's door and knocked three times on it, as he did every Saturday night. And when he came in, as usual, Dumbledore was sitting at his desk with both hands crossed in front of him.

"Have a seat," he said to Draco kindly.

Draco crossed over to the center of the large, circular office and slid into his usual spot. He placed his wand on the table in front of him and looked at Dumbledore.

"How are you?" he asked him.

"Not bad," Draco admitted. "It was a long week though."

"Anything interesting happen?"

Draco paused. "No, not much."

"Well, care to share a little more?" said Dumbledore casually.

Draco sighed. "There were classes. I went to them."

"I see," said Dumbledore, smiling. "And?"

"And they assigned homework. I did it."

Dumbledore tilted his head slightly. "Has Mr. Potter not spoken with you yet about Quidditch?"

Draco raised his eyes to meet Dumbledore's.

"W-what?"

"He came to see me to discuss some concerns that players in other teams have expressed, regarding your unofficial involvement with the team."

"And?" Draco said, sitting up. "What happened?"

Dumbledore paused. "Well, I reminded him that Professor McGonagall is more in charge of activities such as Quidditch…" Draco sighed, "…however, I also assured him that I am well aware of the rules of Quidditch set by Hogwarts and that there is no such rule that forbids you from participating and assisting as an unofficial member."

"That's exactly what I thought!" Draco cried.

"Fair enough," said Dumbledore with a nod.

At that moment, Fawkes flew up to Dumbledore and landed right in front of him. Dumbledore began to pet him, with his eyes still on Draco. Draco hesitated.

"When did James have the time to go see you?"

"This morning, before the Hogsmeade visit," said Dumbledore simply. "I am surprised he did not tell you."

"So am I," Draco mumbled.

Dumbledore leaned forward again. "Well then, if there is nothing you should wish to discuss further, let us not bounce around the subject at hand. We shall begin with the very first basic concept to learn when it comes to fiendfyre." Draco sat up again, ears in tune, mind alert.

"Theory…" Dumbledore began.

"How was it?" Peter asked when Draco crawled in through the portrait hole nearly two hours later.

"Tiring," Draco said truthfully. He'd had to grasp far too much information that night and wasn't sure much of it would stay.

"You look like hell," Sirius observed.

"Well thank you very much," Draco said sarcastically, taking a seat on the couch.

He pulled his feet up on the table and sighed deeply. Everyone who was still in the common room was too busy with their own activities to notice his arrival, except for the marauders of course. But they all looked evidently more tired than they had two hours before. It looked like it would be an early night for all of them. So much for a weekend of fun.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked Draco.

"Huh?" Draco said, looking at him.

"You look like you're falling asleep, why don't you head up?"

The other boys turned their heads in Draco's direction and nodded their agreement.

"You…you guys aren't tired?" Draco observed.

"Nah, I'm good to go for another couple of hours," said Sirius, shrugging.

"Yeah, same here," James agreed.

"But…" said Draco, barely present in the room anymore.

He bid the boys farewell and shifted past various Gryffindors scattered about the common room until he reached the spiral staircase. Once upstairs, he looked at the boys one last time by the fireplace, then let himself into the dormitory.

His initial thought was to put on pajamas and collapse on his bed. He even started heading towards his trunk. But just as he reached the edge of his bed, a new thought forced itself into his mind and he suddenly dived for the nightstand and pulled out the Tom Riddle notebook. He closed all the curtains in the room and lit a couple of candles so that he would be able to see. Then, double checking that the marauders were in fact still downstairs, he sat cross-legged on his bed with quill and ink bottle in hand, and flipped open the book.

 _Why fiendfyre?_ was the first thing the notebook asked once Draco explained what happened with his lesson from Dumbledore.

 _Dumbledore seems to think it will help if I know all kinds of advanced magic, even in the darkest forms. I think it's a stupid idea and probably a waste of time since I'll most likely not get it, but he's the boss so unfortunately what he says goes._

He waited a minute.

 _You should give Dumbledore more credit than that. He knows what he is doing._

Draco frowned down at the notebook. That was the first time it had ever praised Dumbledore in that way.

 _I thought Tom Riddle and Dumbledore didn't get along when he was in school,_ he wrote.

 _They didn't_ , the notebook wrote back. Draco waited a while. And then…

 _But that doesn't mean that Tom didn't admire Dumbledore. He learned a lot from him and Dumbledore was the one who brought him to Hogwarts personally._

Draco hadn't known that last bit. He waited some more.

 _Tom didn't like admitting it to people but he told me everything. And nonetheless, his differences with Dumbledore only grew in numbers after Tom left Hogwarts._

 _What did he do?_ Draco wrote.

 _He worked at Borgin and Burke's for some time, selling and collecting antique valuables from insisting wizards. I think Dumbledore disapproved because he'd always hoped Tom would go into work at the ministry. But the ministry never appealed to Tom._

 _Why is that?_ Draco asked.

 _Because Tom knew he could do so much more with his life than some book-cluttered, dusty old office with a small window._

Draco smiled to himself. He knew the feeling.

 _What are you looking into doing after Hogwarts?_ the notebook suddenly asked.

Draco thought for a minute. He honestly had no answer to that question and he knew that as the time passed, more and more people would ask it and eventually he would have to give them an answer.

 _I'm not sure yet,_ he wrote. _My arrival at Hogwarts wasn't exactly traditional._

 _Meaning?_

Draco hesitated. _It's just complicated, that's all._

He dipped the quill in some more ink and thought for a minute, then moved it closer to the page and was just about to write too when some more writing suddenly appeared on the page. He stopped instantly to read it.

 _Tell me more about Tom, Draco. I feel a certain closeness to him—a connection, perhaps leftover from him writing in me for so long and no one else ever writing in me after._

 _Alright,_ Draco wrote. _What do you want me to tell you?_

 _Everything,_ the book declared.

 _Well obviously I didn't know Tom when he was in school or after he graduated. I only met him when he was already a grown adult and by then he'd accumulated the title of most notorious, feared wizard our world has known, probably since Gallert Grindelwald._

Draco watched as the letters disappeared into the pages, leaving them blank and smooth, wondering whether he should've said all of that but at the same time strangely feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

 _Did Tom ever acquire fame through his travels and his work?_

Draco frowned. _Not only did he acquire fame, but he became the most feared wizard. People actually feared saying his name. They just called him the Dark Lord for the longest time._

There was a pause.

 _You speak in the past tense. Does he not still claim the title?_

Draco hesitated. _Yes, he does._

 _He is not dead?_

More hesitation. _No, he is not dead._

Draco started to feel weirder now, as a strong, unwelcoming sensation filled the pit of his stomach. He sat back on his bed and stared down at the diary. He supposed he could understand some of the curiosity that the diary claimed, seeing as how he himself was curious too. But he was a person. This was a notebook. A notebook without feelings and thoughts. Somehow, he didn't feel all to well about this now.

But still, as the notebook continued to write to him, praising him for his work on the animagus and asking him more questions about how he was studying and what he was planning to do with his life…it was like the notebook actually _did_ have feelings and thoughts. Like it cared.

And if he was being really honest with himself, Draco felt really good about that. It wasn't judgmental caring like Dumbledore's. Sure, the marauders cared, but they didn't know the half of it. They had no idea what Draco's life was truly like, and it wasn't like he could suddenly just confide in them. Well, neither did the notebook, but this was different. It didn't exactly know Draco's true identity, but it acted like it did, which was the next best thing.

 _And what about Tom? He never talked about his family to you?_

 _Tom grew up in an orphanage, rather like yourself. I think if he was in school with you, the pair of you would have been good friends._

 _I doubt that,_ Draco wrote without thinking. _I'm in Gryffindor._

The notebook took its time answering that one, and Draco was almost starting to regret it, until he finally saw the ink forming on the page.

 _I never would have guessed._

Really? Draco thought. It made him smile.

 _You write like a true Slytherin,_ the notebook elaborated momentarily. _One hat's opinion does not a future make._

Draco frowned. He was just about to ask the notebook another question about Voldemort, when suddenly the door to the dormitory banged open and Draco jumped, sliding the notebook as far down the bed as he possibly could so that it was covered.

"What?!" he snapped before he realized who had come into the room.

"Sorry," said Peter in a quiet voice, standing in the doorway and fiddling with his fingers nervously. "Are…are you okay?"

Draco, whose eyes were bulging and wide, looked from Peter to the hidden notebook and then around the room once.

"Um yeah," he said, looking back to Peter, "I'm fine. What…what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Peter said, his voice still small.

"I'm fine, Peter," said Draco restlessly. All he really wanted was for his friend to just get out so that he could continue on with his conversation. It was an important one too.

"You're not sleeping?" said Peter.

"Clearly," Draco snapped.

Peter looked at him with hurt eyes. "The guys wanted to see if maybe you'd want to join us for poker."

"What guys?" said Draco, his eyes on the hidden notebook beneath the pile of blankets on his bed.

"All of us," said Peter, "A-and Frank and his friends too. They're all inviting you."

"Right now?" said Draco, eyebrows raised.

Peter nodded slowly, a worried look on his face. "D-Draco, are you sure you're alright?"

Draco looked round at the notebook one last time. He knew it was stupid, but he really just wanted to sit there and write. But then he looked at Peter again, standing in the doorway, looking smaller than ever.

This was a tougher decision to make than he ever would have thought.

"Right," said Draco finally, though it pained him to say it. "Yeah, I'll come."

"Really?" said Peter, his face brightening up instantly.

Draco grumbled something unintelligible as he slid off the bed and pulled on an extra sweater, suddenly feeling cold. He bought himself some time with it though so he could casually slip more layers over the spot on the bed where the notebook was now hiding. With his back turned to Peter, he also put the quill and ink bottle away as sneakily as he possibly could. Then, blowing out some of the candles, he turned around to find Peter still standing in the doorway, waiting.

"Alright let's go," Draco said, following him out.

The common room was completely empty now, with just the marauders and Frank and the guys all huddled near the fireplace on the floor, drinks already in everyone's hands and cards everywhere.

"Hey Draco!" Frank cried at the sight of him. "Rise and shine, mate!"

"…everybody antes," said Sirius, who was dealing the cards.

Draco sat on the carpet next to Remus, who was apparently also playing. He nodded at James and accepted a drink from Charles. Joan and Kevin were apparently already drunk but still quite present and laughing about something Draco couldn't understand. He looked around the deserted common room and at the various lit candles spread about.

"Hey," Remus whispered, nudging him slightly.

"Huh?" said Draco, meeting his eyes.

"You okay?" Remus said, his voice hushed.

Draco looked round at all the laughing boys, all of them careless about anything and just letting loose. Just having fun. Just being boys.

He then took a large swig of his drink, sighed deeply and turned back to Remus.

"I've never been better," he declared, thinking of the diary again, up in his room.

* * *

 **Who smells trouble brewing?**


	37. The War Comes Home

**Author's Note : So we're back. . . let's just leave it at that. Don't have any details about when updates will be so if you want to know how the story ends then just keep checking your emails for the next chapters. Hope you enjoy..**

 **Disclaimer : Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. Thanks**

* * *

CHAPTER 37: THE WAR COMES HOME

 _"It is with a great deal of uncertainty that we inform the public that the raid is now at an end. With the number of disappearances still increasing by the hour, we can't say for sure whether the raid won't start up again at some point this evening. We have managed to account for just over three quarters of all ministry employees, but are still in the process of doing checks for the remaining that are unaccounted for. The following disappearances are confirmed…"_

And so the list began. And the Gryffindors huddled closer together in the common room, many of them holding hands and some covering their mouths to silence their frightened cries. There was no movement. Everyone sat still as doornails and waited for it to finally be over. But just like every time they gathered like this around a radio late at night, there was a moment every few minutes or so when someone would gasp or run out of the room crying. It was an extremely gruesome atmosphere.

Draco sat there in silence with the marauders, also listening to the live broadcast from the Minister of Magic himself. None of them had expected it that night. Just ten minutes before, they'd all been going about their usual weeknight activities in the common room, doing homework, playing with friends, or catching up on some reading with hot tea. But now, it was as though death itself had swooped in and taken over the common room. Even the portraits on the walls were not moving a muscle.

When it was finally over, Draco was able to breathe again. He wasn't sure who he'd been holding his breath for. There was no one in this timeline who would be at that raid whom he cared about necessarily. It was awful, hearing about all those disappearances, that was for sure. An unsettling feeling. But he wanted to be there with his friends, supporting his fellow housemates through these dark and difficult times.

The following morning however was ghastly and unnerving. Several of the Gryffindors seemed to be up half the night, yet everyone still had the energy to run around frantically, collecting their books and things. The marauders hadn't slept much that night either, looking pretty tired as they followed their housemates to the Great Hall for breakfast. But about halfway there, their housemates took a different turn and hurried up a different set of stairs instead.

"They're off to the owlry," Remus explained when Draco asked about it, just as they'd reached the Great Hall. "Sending letters off to their loved ones and such…"

"That's disturbing," James mumbled as the boys took their seats at the Gryffindor table.

It was emptier in the Great Hall that morning, which confirmed Draco's theory that the Gryffindors weren't the only ones who'd been listening to the radio broadcasts all night. It made going to classes that day exceptionally more difficult. Everyone knew what was going on but no one was saying anything about it. It was just kind of hovering in the air, drowned completely by the professors' abysmal lectures which no one seemed to care about.

Draco tried his best to focus on the homework assigned that day. But it only took until the second period for him to get distracted from it completely. Sitting with James in Muggle Studies, he couldn't help but notice how unusually kind and almost chivalrous James was being. Lily noticed it too, because she kept giving Draco knowing looks as though she was trying to communicate something with him. But Draco could see that James was really trying and so he looked away from Lily and busied himself with the work instead. He knew that he needed to give his friend this chance—for the sake of the Potters' love and for the sake of his friend's happiness.

Draco wasn't stupid of course. He understood perfectly well that his presence in this timeline had interrupted several things because Lily had no doubt grown infatuated with him or whatever it was that she felt. She had been flirty and annoying in every way manageable, and her little drunken hookup with Draco had stirred something up inside of James, something which Draco had never intended on. He understood all of this. But still, he couldn't help but feel guiltier now that James was trying his best to win Lily over. It had only been about a week since Draco and Lily had talked in Hogsmeade. Or rather, fought. Or whatever it was they did. And still, to this moment, Draco was thinking that he never wanted to see Lily cry like that again—at least not because of him.

After a long and tiring day full of homework and assignments and even more homework, the marauders dropped their things off in the tower and grabbed an early dinner before heading out into the field to meet with the team for a long practice. James seemed to be far more enthusiastic than usual, perhaps because of the big game against Slytherin coming up on the 30th. But that was still a week and a half away and Draco wasn't even scheduled to play in this one. Still, he gave the practice his all and returned to the common room with the marauders hours later, completely spent and ready to collapse.

"Even _I'm_ tired from sitting there watching you guys work your asses," Remus complained as they all collapsed in their usual spot by the fireplace.

"Yeah James, what's gotten into you?" said Sirius.

"We have a big game coming up, I'm just trying to keep focused," James mumbled.

"Yeah, now ask us if we believe it," said Sirius sarcastically.

James narrowed his eyes at him but Sirius, pretending not to notice, put his feet up on the table and sighed deeply as he held his head back on the couch.

"Fuck, I'm tired," he whispered.

"You guys are for sure going to win that match," Peter offered.

"Mmm," was all Sirius said in response.

Remus pulled out the book that he'd been reading up in the stands during the practice and crossed his legs on the carpet.

"Mate, you might want to get a candle," said James, but Remus ignored him. Noticing, James added, "Seriously mate, it's not good for your eyes."

"Here, I'll get it," said Peter, and he reached over for the nearest one, but Remus suddenly snapped his head up.

 _"I'm fine,"_ he hissed, frightening Peter right back into his place.

Draco met Sirius's eyes but said nothing on the matter.

The boys spent the rest of the evening relaxing from that crazy practice and chatting casually about school-related things. Mostly, they were just trying to avoid the subject at hand—the one thing that everyone at school had on their mind but couldn't bring themselves to actually talk about out loud.

"You know what I still can't understand?" Sirius said, trying to lighten up the mood a little as the clock struck nine.

"Hmm?" said James, looking up from the _Daily Prophet._

"Why Filch still has a position at this school…" said Sirius.

James let out a laugh.

"I mean, the man's an outright idiot," said Sirius, turning to Draco. "How does Dumbledore not see it?"

Draco only shrugged, offering a small smile but no comments.

"It can't be just me who thinks so," said Sirius, turning to Peter.

"Nah mate, you're not alone there," said James, his eyes back on the newspaper in his lap.

"I honestly don't know who I despise more," Sirius went on, "The squib, or his cat."

"Cat," said James and Draco together, and Sirius smiled.

"Yeah, she's a devil, that one," he said, mostly to himself.

Draco joined in on the boys' quiet laughter, and then suddenly pretended to stretch and let out a small yawn.

"I'm gonna head up," he announced, rising from the couch.

"What—but it's so early," said Sirius.

"You're tired?" said Peter.

Draco nodded.

"Aw come on, mate, stay a bit longer," said Sirius.

James looked up at Draco standing there. "Where you off to? You know you're not gonna fall asleep right away. Not after an intense practice like that."

"I just wanna go upstairs," said Draco.

"Why?" said Sirius.

Remus also looked up now, though his face was blank and undetectable.

Draco looked round at all the boys. "I've just got to go."

He wasn't sure why he felt the need to leave his friends in the common room and go upstairs to write in the diary. He knew he wanted to...he knew it was important...but he wasn't sure why. Still, he felt himself drawn up the spiral staircase and into the dormitory. He felt his heart practically race as he grabbed the book from its hiding spot and pulled a quill and ink bottle towards him. His whole body was tensed up as he dipped the quill into the ink and scribbled a couple of words onto a blank page. And only when the diary finally responded, did Draco's body relax.

When he was through with his conversation with Tom Riddle's diary, it was just half past eleven and the marauders still had not shown up in the dormitory. Feeling wide awake and slightly buzzed with information, Draco put away the diary things and lit a couple of candles instead. He then crossed his legs on his bed, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

When he finally finished with his meditation, the marauders came upstairs and all the boys fell right to sleep. But it didn't take long before Draco was woken by an unsettling dream that escaped his memory the moment he fell conscious. Sweating hard from it, he shoved his blankets aside and got up from his bed. He made sure to sidestep any obstacles scattered about the room so as not to wake any of the boys, though they all seemed fairly dozed off.

Finally out of the dormitory, Draco climbed down the stairs and picked up a random book from a random shelf, hoping it would put him to sleep fast. He turned to the couch nearest the fireplace and stopped.

"Hi," Mary said, looking just as startled as he. "W-what are you doing up at this hour?"

"I should ask you the same question," Draco said, taking slow steps towards her.

"I'm just reading," she said, gesturing at a book in her lap.

"Same," said Draco, lifting his up.

Mary nodded her head slowly and turned back towards the fireplace. Draco hesitated for a moment, scanned the room quickly to find that they were the only ones there, and then moved to sit opposite her. He saw that Mary had a warm drink in her hand and a blanket sprawled over her lap. She also had really thick socks on.

"Cold?" said Draco, setting his book on the table in front of him.

"A bit," said Mary with a nod. "So...do you normally come down here to read at three in the morning?"

"Maybe," Draco shrugged. "Do you?"

Mary looked down at her lap, and when she spoke, her voice got considerably quieter. "Actually I couldn't sleep just thinking about that radio broadcast from last night."

"Oh," said Draco, the smirk leaving his face instantly. "Right...that…"

"It's just so scary."

"Yeah, it is."

"And the worst part is that we really don't know when it's gonna be over!"

Draco bit back a laugh. It was too ironic how he knew exactly when it was going to be over.

"Yeah," he said instead. His eyes then narrowed at the spot where Mary was rubbing her sleeve back and forth, beneath which Draco already knew to be stored dozens of deadly scars.

"It's all gonna be okay, don't worry," he offered quietly. Mary looked up to meet his eyes and gave a small smile.

"Yeah," she agreed.

Draco smiled back.

Mary set down the cup on the table in front of her and settled back on the couch, pulling the blanket over herself to keep warm.

"You know, this is getting to be a bit of a habit for us…"

"Hmm?"

"Meeting up here in the middle of the night," said Mary.

Draco smirked. "Yeah, I guess it must be."

"So how were your holidays?"

Draco thought for a minute. "Yeah, they were...not bad." Mary raised her eyebrows at him. "I, uh, assume you know where I spent the holiday break."

"Yeah, everyone who's seen the Prophet does," Mary admitted shyly.

Draco nodded. "Yeah well...guess there's no escaping it. When you're in the spotlight, you're in the spotlight."

"Does it bother you much?"

Draco paused to look at her. "A lot."

"I'm sorry for that."

"It's not your fault."

"No, I know, I'm just… I'm still sorry."

Draco smiled. "That's kind of you." He leaned back on his own couch and put his feet up on it whilst folding his arms across his chest. "So what about you? How were your holidays?"

"They were fine," said Mary, taking the cup in her hands again and blowing into it. "Very lowkey, just spending time with my family and such."

"Yeah," said Draco. They were quiet for a little while, both of them just listening to the peaceful crackling of the nearby fireplace, the howling of winter wind from outside, and the occasional grunt or cough from the many sleeping portraits on the walls.

Then, Draco narrowed his eyes at the table in front of him as he remembered something.

"Hey Mary, can I ask you a question?"

She looked up at him in alarm. It appeared that she had been falling asleep.

"Sure," she answered, sitting up again.

Draco frowned harder now. "What did you and Lily fight about?" Mary raised her eyebrows at him and he cleared his throat. "I mean, the night of Slughorn's Christmas party. You told me before that you two argued."

"Oh...that," said Mary, her facial expression instantly changing. "It's nothing."

"Well it was something," Draco contradicted, eyeing the curious look on Mary's face now.

"I really shouldn't say."

"I really insist that you do."

There was a pause.

"It…" said Mary, sighing, "It's not a big deal, honestly."

"On the contrary, everything is a big deal to Lily Evans," Draco argued.

Mary let out a small laugh. "True, but she's really a good person and sometimes...she just lets qualities like bitterness and jealousy get the best of her, as do all of us—"

"Wait, jealousy?" Draco interrupted.

Mary looked at him.

"What would she be jealous of that you two fought about?"

Mary said nothing. Draco leaned forward.

"Mary," he said.

"That's a conversation that you need to have with Lily," she declared in a very serious voice. "I refuse to be a part of this."

"So it's true," Draco said, ignoring her words. "She _was_ jealous that you and I went to the party together."

"I didn't say that—"

"Yeah but you're thinking it! And so am I, 'cause it's the truth."

Another moment of silence.

"Just...talk...to her…" said Mary, almost pleadingly.

Draco leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms again. "I already did."

It was Mary's turn to lean forward. _"And?!"_

 _"And,"_ said Draco, pursing his lips before continuing, "And nothing."

"What's that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds."

Mary frowned at him.

"So," she said slowly, "Are...you guys okay then?"

"I think so, but you tell me," said Draco firmly.

Mary looked down at the cup in her hand before speaking. "Like I said, it's a conversation you need to have with Lily. I know nothing of it."

"And why don't I believe you?" Draco declared, causing Mary to look up at him once again, rendered completely speechless.

The following day was slightly easier to endure, a huge reason for this being that it was Friday. Potions and Defense against the Dark Arts flew right on by and before he knew it, it was time for Draco's free afternoon period. While the boys all went off to class, Draco lost no time in rushing off to the library and hiding in a corner with Regulus's dark arts book. He checked several times to make sure that no one was around him before proceeding to flip open the pages.

"Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction…"

Draco eyed these words carefully, as he had been for some time now. He had but zero ideas as to how to obtain more information on horcruxes or at least learn what they were. None of the books he'd tried, even in the Restricted Section, were very useful. He doubted he could just up and ask a random teacher. The look they'd probably give him…

No, it was better to draw as least attention to himself as possible nowadays.

Then, it occurred to him.

Looking around the library several times to make sure no students were around him, he slowly pulled the little black notebook out of his bag and flipped it open on the table. He thought for a minute, his ink-dipped quill already in hand, and then wrote the following inscription…

 _Diary, I wouldn't ask if I had any other source, but what can you tell me about horcruxes?_

To his surprise, the notebook responded almost instantaneously.

 _Why do you wish to know this?_

Draco thought for a minute. Indeed, why? Could it be that he was just beating around the bush here? That his theory was nonsensical and he was wasting his and the diary's time?

"Bloody hell, Draco, it's a fucking notebook, it has no sense of wasting time," he thought to himself.

 _Research for a school assignment,_ Draco wrote instead.

He waited patiently for the diary to respond while he looked around the library. Madame Pince was shelving books somewhere in the distance while some students not far from her were giggling quietly at their table. Draco looked down at the new inscription in the diary.

 _A Horcrux is an object of any and many proportions, into which one has consumed a part of their soul. It is dangerous, and not talked about, and therefore one of the most prestigious forms of magic currently in existence._

Draco bit on his lip. But, assuming it were even possible, how would one go about ripping their soul apart? And before he could ask, the diary continued.

 _Killing rips the soul, if you didn't know. So hypothetically, say a wizard murders someone, and then that wizard chooses to put a part of their soul into an object. They would do so at the scene, completing a very complicated and lengthy process and most likely enduring weeks of recovery thereafter._

 _But what good would it do anyone to put a part of their soul into an object?_ Draco asked.

He was sure that in all his years as a wizard, both timelines included, he'd never come across the word horcrux or any magic that was related to what the diary was now describing, which also made him wonder whether it was falsified information.

 _Imagine the challenge you'd present your worst enemies with if they couldn't kill you upfront. They'd have to hunt down each and every horcrux that you'd ever made, find the means to destroy it, and only then would they be able to harm you physically._

Draco frowned. _So you're saying that these objects could be anything you choose? Anything at all?_

 _It doesn't sound like such a pointless procedure now, does it?_ were the diary's final words to him that afternoon.

At the sound of the bell chiming throughout the castle, Draco packed up his things and hurried out of the library to avoid conversations with anyone. He could hardly wait to get this last class over with and finally start the much-anticipated weekend. Somehow, the weeks now seemed longer than ever and the weekends shorter.

Turning at the end of the crowded corridor, Draco bit back a groan. Lily was kneeling on the floor, apparently picking up books she'd dropped. Like always. Draco decided to take a different route to Professor Livesey's classroom but unfortunately Lily caught sight of him because she hurried to catch up to him.

"Hey there," she said, struggling to maintain all the books in her hands. Draco pretended not to notice and mumbled "Hey" in response, keeping his head facing forward.

"How were your classes?"

"Fine," said Draco, leading the way to Muggle Studies. "Yours?"

"Busy," Lily responded. "I have a very heavy load to get through this weekend so I'm probably going to be chained to a desk at the library for forty-eight hours."

"That's...commitment," said Draco.

"Yes," laughed Lily. "Well, we can't be slacking off now, can we?"

"No, I guess not," said Draco.

They walked on silently for a few corridors, bypassing students left and right.

"Maybe you could join me," Lily suddenly blurted out.

Draco looked round at her with raised eyebrows.

"Join you?"

"Before you start assuming things," Lily quickly added, "I'm strictly talking about studying. W-we could form a little study group in the library, you know."

The more she added, the worse it sounded.

"S-study group…" Draco repeated, looking away again, unsure of how to answer this.

"Frank and Alice would be there too of course," Lily added, obviously realizing her mistake and working quickly to fix it. "U-unless you think that would be too weird for you."

"Why would it be too weird for me?"

There was a pause.

"Because of your history with Alice?"

"My history with Alice…" Draco repeated.

Another pause.

"You...you don't remember?" said Lily, shock plastered all over her face. "It was only just a few months ago, are you kidding?"

"N-no, of course I remember," said Draco quickly, "I'm just...tired I guess, I'm sorry."

"No worries…" Another pause. "So it wouldn't be weird then?"

"No not at all, Alice and I are on great terms."

The words were out before he could stop himself.

"Great, so maybe I'll see you there!" said Lily excitedly, again stopping to restrain herself.

Draco gave her a weak smile.

As they walked on, Draco shuddered at what James would think if he saw him studying with his precious Lily in the library, with or without the future Longbottoms. He had worked so hard to get James to start talking to him again and now that they were almost back to completely normal, did he really want to jeopardize that?

But then Draco thought back to his conversation with Mary the other night, about what she had implied. He looked at Lily walking beside him and she offered him an innocent smile. Somehow, he felt even guiltier now, for having made her jealous at Slughorn's Christmas party. Then, Draco took a mental step back. What on earth did it matter to him whether she was jealous or not? It wasn't like they were even friends.

And then it hit him.

"Lily, come here," he said, taking her arm and pulling her into an empty classroom. She looked at him unexpectedly as he closed the door behind them and walked into the center of the room, pacing for a few short seconds before stopping to face her.

"Draco, what is it?" she said, concerned.

"I…" said Draco, and then he proceeded to pace a little more.

Lily glanced at the closed door behind her, on the other side of which students were still hurrying off to their classes. Then, she placed the pile of books she'd been holding on a nearby desk and took a step towards him.

"Is something the matter?" she tried again.

Draco stopped again to look at her.

"I owe you an apology," he said, to her greatest surprise.

"I...I don't understand," she mumbled, but he continued.

"You're right," he breathed. "You've been right all along."

"I-I have?"

"Yes, about everything...me shutting you out, treating you differently, blaming you for things that aren't your fault...we _did_ get off on the wrong foot, you're absolutely right."

"Oh," she said, a little disappointment in her voice.

Draco resumed his pacing while continuing this very improvised speech.

"I think that most of our problems developed because of that very reason...that we got off on the wrong foot. Even with our first meeting…"

"You mean my late-night conversation with Severus which you eavesdropped on?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Draco said without looking at her, still pacing. "I just think all of our problems can be solved right here right now if we just fix this."

"Alright," said Lily, slowly folding her arms in front of her. "So what did you have in mind?"

Draco stopped again to look at her.

"We start over…" he announced, "…as friends."

"Friends," Lily repeated. "Something tells me you haven't ever been really good at that."

"No, I'm terrible," Draco laughed, "But you can ask James, Sirius and the others. I try. I'm terrible but I...I try."

Now he felt like he was starting to go too far. What if she would misinterpret all of this and start clinging to his side and then just make things even worse with James? That certainly wasn't what he wanted. But he couldn't stop himself talking now. It just kept coming to him like a flood, as did most things these days.

He couldn't help the guilt he felt for making her feel the way she felt back at the Christmas party. He didn't like her, no, but even he knew how much it hurt to have that happen to you. Or rather, he could imagine it. But it also got him thinking as to whether that was the reason she'd initiated their secret hookup the night before the holiday break. So if he hadn't gone with Mary to the party, would it not have happened? Really, what _was_ going through this girl's mind as she stood before him, puzzled to her very core?

"So, what do you classify as friendship?" Lily pressed on.

Draco thought for a minute. "We hang out together with our friends, we use each other's class notes, we congratulate each other on good marks or good Quidditch games or…"

"I don't play Quidditch," Lily smiled.

"Oh I know," Draco said quickly. _"Believe me."_

Lily gasped and he laughed at her. She laughed back.

"See, this is what I mean," he finally said. "No complications, no drama, no…"

"…miscommunications," Lily finished.

 _Exactly,_ he thought. "Clean slate."

"I like the sound of that very much," Lily smiled, walking up to shake his hand.

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. Of all the things he'd managed to mess up in this timeline, he was just glad that he'd figured out how to fix this one.

* * *

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